Robert De Niro testified for the second day in a civil trial against his former assistant, Chase Robinson, at Manhattan federal court. De Niro defended his decision to call Robinson during her grandmother’s funeral, stating that she had given him permission to do so. He admitted that he was unaware of the funeral proceedings, saying, “I don’t know if they were putting the body in the ground or at a wake or something.”
During his testimony, De Niro explained that he had called Robinson to ask her to purchase bus tickets for his son. He claimed that Robinson had previously assured him that it was acceptable to contact her during certain instances. De Niro’s testimony comes as part of Robinson’s allegations of gender discrimination and inappropriate behavior during her time at De Niro’s company, Canal Productions, where she worked as an executive assistant for over ten years.
De Niro has vehemently denied these allegations and has countersued Robinson. In his countersuit, he accused her of misusing the company credit card by charging personal expenses, such as meals and Uber rides, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also claimed that she stole 5 million Delta SkyMiles for personal vacations and wasted working hours by binge-watching TV shows on Netflix.
During the trial, De Niro, who is 80 years old and known for his roles in films like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Meet the Fockers,” appeared confused at times, repeatedly asking Robinson’s lawyer, Andrew Macurdy, to repeat his questions. Macurdy questioned De Niro about Robinson ordering supplies to her home and delivering them to his townhouse via Uber. De Niro initially struggled to understand the question but eventually responded that it was acceptable for her to expense Ubers for that purpose.
Macurdy also raised the issue of De Niro requesting a martini from Nobu, the restaurant he co-owns, and asking Robinson to deliver it to him at 11 p.m. De Niro acknowledged this incident but emphasized that it was a one-time occurrence.
De Niro’s lawsuit alleges that Robinson used the company credit card to accumulate 8 million Delta SkyMiles between 2017 and 2019, of which she took 5 million for herself. While De Niro admitted that he occasionally approved her use of the points, he criticized her for not being judicious with them, especially when his own children had to pay for their plane fares.
The trial continues as both parties present their arguments and evidence.
