Robert De Niro, the renowned actor, testified for the second day in a civil trial against his former assistant, Chase Robinson. De Niro defended himself against allegations of workplace discrimination and inappropriate behavior. One issue addressed during his testimony was the phone calls he made to Robinson during her grandmother’s funeral. De Niro claimed that Robinson had given him permission to contact her and requested that she purchase bus tickets for his son. He admitted that he was unaware of the funeral proceedings at the time of the calls, stating, “I don’t know if they were putting the body in the ground or at a wake or something.”
The trial, taking place in Manhattan federal court, revolves around Robinson’s accusations that De Niro fostered a work environment filled with gender discrimination while she served as an executive assistant at his company, Canal Productions, for over ten years. She also alleged that De Niro subjected her to unwarranted physical contact. However, De Niro has vehemently denied these claims and counter-sued Robinson for allegedly misusing the company credit card for personal expenses, such as meals and Uber rides, stealing 5 million Delta SkyMiles for personal vacations, and wasting work hours watching Netflix.
During his testimony, De Niro, aged 80, appeared somewhat disoriented, repeatedly asking Robinson’s lawyer, Andrew Macurdy, to repeat his questions. At one point, Macurdy inquired if Robinson had ordered supplies to her home before delivering them to De Niro’s townhouse via Uber, as the townhouse lacked a doorman. De Niro, initially confused, eventually grasped the question and responded, saying it was acceptable for her to expense Ubers for that purpose.
Macurdy also raised the issue of De Niro requesting Robinson to deliver a martini from a restaurant he co-owns, Nobu, at 11 p.m. De Niro acknowledged the incident but claimed it was an exception.
According to De Niro’s lawsuit, between 2017 and 2019, the company credit card accumulated 8 million Delta SkyMiles, of which Robinson allegedly misappropriated 5 million. De Niro admitted that he occasionally approved her use of the points but emphasized the need for her to exercise caution. He expressed frustration that his own children had to pay for their plane tickets instead of utilizing the accumulated points.
The trial continues as both parties present their evidence and arguments.
