Robert De Niro reportedly claims ex-assistant threatened him before suing
'The Irishman' actor alleges she made multiple threats to reveal his personal details
“The Irishman” actor Robert De Niro reportedly said in court papers his former assistant threatened via email to share his personal information if he didn’t give her what he wanted, according to a report.
De Niro allegedly made the claim against Graham Chase Robinson – who has accused the longtime actor and political firebrand of harassment and gender discrimination – in newly filed court papers, TMZ reported.
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Reps for De Niro did not respond to FOX Business’ request seeking comment.
“Defendants present a distorted and misleading account of the email exchanges that preceded Canal’s retaliatory lawsuit against Ms. Robinson," Alexandra Harwin, Robinson's lead counsel and partner and co-chair of the Title VII practice at Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP, told FOX Business in a statement. "Ms. Robinson did not make threats as Defendants allege and instead engaged in legally protected activity when she asserted claims against Robert De Niro and his company.”
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De Niro further accused Robinson of telling him in a different email that she would write a book that included his personal details if he did not meet her unspecified demands, according to TMZ.
He also said she sued him in October because he confronted her about alleged misconduct. Days later, in August 2019, Canal Productions, De Niro’s film company, filed a $6 million lawsuit accusing Robinson of stealing hundreds of thousands of company dollars before suddenly resigning. The suit also alleges Robinson lied to get paid for 96 unused vacation days and in one instance watched 55 episodes of "Friends" on Netflix during work hours.
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According to the lawsuit filed by Canal Productions, Robinson, who worked with the company from 2008 until April 2019, was paid a salary of more than $175,000 in 2017, more than $225,000 in 2018 and $300,000 in 2019. During her tenure, she rose through the ranks from executive assistant to director of productions and vice president of production and finance.
Graham Chase Robinson (Photo provided by law firm)
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In December, she asked the judge to dismiss Canal’s suit or to put the case on hold until her own case is handled.
Robinson filed the harassment and discrimination suit in October 2019, claiming the 76-year-old Hollywood star treated her like his “office wife,” the federal lawsuit states.
"Among these duties, De Niro directed Ms. Robinson to put away his boxers, hang up his clothes, wash his sheets, vacuum his apartment, set his table, mend his clothing, and select gifts for his children."
He allegedly often went ballistic on her, once calling her a “spoiled brat” in a profanity-laced voicemail when she did not answer his phone call.
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“It was a routine occurrence for Mr. De Niro, when intoxicated, to call Ms. Robinson -- to call her names, to berate her, to curse at her,” Robinson’s attorney, Alexandra Harwin, told FOX Business soon after the suit was filed.
Robinson is seeking $12 million in damages, double what De Niro is seeking.
De Niro's attorney, Tom Harvey, dismissed the claims. “The allegations made by Graham Chase Robinson against Robert De Niro are beyond absurd," Harvey said in a statement on Friday.