Robert De Niro's former employee is suing the actor, claiming he harrassed her and discriminated against her for being a woman. Graham Chase Robinson said De Niro behaved in a "hostile, abusive, and intimidating manner" and called her "a bitch" and "a brat."
"Robert De Niro is someone who has clung to old mores," the complaint filed Oct. 3 states, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "He does not accept the idea that men should treat women as equals. He does not care that gender discrimination in the workplace violates the law. Ms. Robinson is a casualty of this attitude."
Robinson said while she was serving as De Niro's executive assistant, he regularly joked with her about his Viagra prescription and that he urinated while on the phone with her. In the lawsuit, she claims De Niro suggested she get pregnant using another co-worker's sperm. She's suing for gender-based harassment and back wages. She said that this made her position untenable.
"Ms. Robinson’s position became increasingly intolerable, and over the years she announced her intent to resign multiple times," the suit claims. "De Niro responded with both a carrot and a stick – he made promises to induce to her stay and threatened repercussions if she left."
The lawsuit from Robinson comes after De Niro sued her for embezzlement. She allegedly watched 55 episodes of Friends while on the clock over a four-day period and used company accounts to buy high-end lunches. Robinson claims De Niro's lawsuit is the follow-through on threats he made while she was employed.
"By April 2019, Ms. Robinson had enough and submitted her final resignation. Ms. Robinson’s lawyer informed De Niro’s counsel that she was contemplating a lawsuit that would address De Niro’s gender discrimination and wage violations. In response, De Niro took a page out of the Bill O’Reilly playbook. Before Ms. Robinson could sue, De Niro retaliated," the lawsuit reads. "The lawsuit is replete with 'clickbait' allegations that falsely characterize Ms. Robinson as a loafer, a thief, and a miscreant. Now, when her name is Googled, these allegations pop up on the screen. The results have been devastating to Ms. Robinson. Her reputation and her career have been destroyed."
To back her case, Robinson released an alleged voicemail in which De Niro repeatedly cursed at her after hearing she was looking for another job.
"Don't fucking get angry with me 'cause I'm pissed off 'cause I didn't get a single thing that I need right now," an enraged De Niro yells on the purported audio. "You gotta be fucking kidding me, you spoiled brat! Fuck you!"
