Current:Home > InvestActor Robert De Niro tells a jury in a lawsuit by his ex-assistant: ‘This is all nonsense’-LoTradeCoin
Actor Robert De Niro tells a jury in a lawsuit by his ex-assistant: ‘This is all nonsense’
View Date:2024-12-24 10:52:57
NEW YORK (AP) — Robert De Niro testified Monday in New York City at a trial resulting from a former personal assistant’s lawsuit accusing the actor of being an abusive boss. De Niro, who at times appeared grouchy, restrained himself from erupting at the dissection of his interactions with her before finally blurting out: “This is all nonsense!”
The two-time Oscar-winning actor known for his performances in blockbuster movies like “The Deer Hunter” and “Raging Bull” was the first witness in a trial resulting from lawsuits over the employment of Graham Chase Robinson. Robinson, who worked for De Niro between 2008 and 2019, was paid $300,000 annually before she quit as his vice president of production and finance.
The woman, tasked for years with everything from decorating De Niro’s Christmas tree to taking him to the hospital when he fell down stairs, has sued him for $12 million in damages for severe emotional distress and reputational harm. Robinson said he refused to give her a reference to find another job when she quit in 2019 after repeated clashes with his girlfriend.
De Niro, 80, testified through most of the afternoon, agreeing that he had listed Robinson as his emergency contact at one point and had relied on her to help with greeting cards for his children.
But when a lawyer for Robinson asked him if he considered her a conscientious employee, he scoffed.
“Not after everything I’m going through now,” he said.
De Niro twice raised his voice almost to a shout during his testimony. Once, it occurred as he defended the interactions his girlfriend had with Robinson, saying, “We make decisions together.”
The second time occurred when Robinson’s lawyer tried to suggest that De Niro bothered his client early in the morning to take him to the hospital in 2017.
“That was one time when I cracked my back falling down the stairs!” De Niro angrily snapped. Even in that instance, he added, he delayed calling Robinson, making it to his bed after the accident at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., but then later summoning her at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m.
Repeatedly, Judge Lewis J. Liman explained the rules of testimony to De Niro and that there were limits to what he could say.
“Can I ask a question?” De Niro asked in one exchange with Robinson’s lawyer. The request was denied.
He insisted that he treated Robinson well even after he bought a five-bedroom Manhattan townhouse and let Robinson oversee some of the preparations so he could move there with his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen.
“It is not like I’m asking for her to go out there and scrape floors and mop the floor,” he said. “So this is all nonsense!”
Correspondence between De Niro and Chen that was shown to jurors demonstrated that Chen became increasingly suspicious of Robinson’s motives, saying she thought Robinson acted like she was De Niro’s wife and believed that she had “imaginary intimacy” with De Niro.
“She felt there was something there and she may have been right,” De Niro said in defense of his girlfriend’s suspicions.
In opening statements that preceded De Niro’s testimony, attorney Andrew Macurdy said Robinson has been unable to get a job and has been afraid to leave her home since leaving the job with De Niro.
He said De Niro would sometimes yell at her and call her nasty names in behavior consistent with sexist remarks he made about women generally.
Macurdy said the trouble between them arose when Chen became jealous that De Niro relied on Robinson for so many tasks and that they communicated so well.
He said his client never had a romantic interest in De Niro.
“None,” he said. “There was never anything romantic between the two of them.”
De Niro’s attorney, Richard Schoenstein, said Robinson was treated very well by De Niro “but always thought she deserved more.”
He described De Niro as “kind, reasonable, generous” and told jurors they would realize that when they hear the testimony of others employed by De Niro’s company, Canal Productions, which has countersued Robinson.
Schoenstein described Robinson as “condescending, demeaning, controlling, abusive” and said “she always played the victim.”
veryGood! (91)
Related
- IAT Community Introduce
- 'Freedom to Learn' protesters push back on book bans, restrictions on Black history
- Indiana Fever move WNBA preseason home game to accommodate Pacers' playoff schedule
- Three groups are suing New Jersey to block an offshore wind farm
- 1 monkey captured, 42 monkeys still on the loose after escaping research facility in SC
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Threestyle (Freestyle)
- Britney Spears' divorce nears an end 8 months after Sam Asghari filed to dissolve marriage
- Military documents contradict Republican Rep. Troy Nehls' military record claims
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
- Self-exiled Chinese businessman’s chief of staff pleads guilty weeks before trial
Ranking
- Moana 2 Star Dwayne Johnson Shares the Empowering Message Film Sends to Young Girls
- Zebra remains on the loose in Washington state as officials close trailheads to keep people away
- Military documents contradict Republican Rep. Troy Nehls' military record claims
- Florida clarifies exceptions to 6-week abortion ban after it takes effect
- Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
- Ex-government employee charged with falsely accusing co-workers of joining Capitol riot
- California man who testified against Capitol riot companion is sentenced to home detention
- New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez wants psychiatrist to testify about his habit of stockpiling cash
Recommendation
-
South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
-
Distressed sawfish rescued in Florida Keys dies after aquarium treatment
-
Jewel Has Cryptic Message on Love Amid Kevin Costner Dating Rumors
-
Busy Philipps talks ADHD diagnosis, being labeled as 'ditzy' as a teen: 'I'm actually not at all'
-
Ryan Reynolds Clarifies Taylor Swift’s Role as Godmother to His Kids With Blake Lively
-
William H. Macy praises wife Felicity Huffman's 'great' performance in upcoming show
-
Why is 'Star Wars' Day on May 4? What is it? Here's how the unofficial holiday came to be
-
Slain Charlotte officer remembered as hard-charging cop with soft heart for his family