A roaring Robert De Niro took center stage again in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday when he reluctantly agreed to ask his former personal assistant to scratch his back, before exploding: “You got me!”
The tempestuous Oscar winner, 80, went defensive on the stand for the second day in a row as he tried to push back against accusations from former employee Graham Chase Robinson, 41, that he was a terrible boss who subjected her to years of unwanted abuse. touching, abusive language and degrading misogynistic tasks.
When asked about an incident in which Robinson claims De Niro forced her to scratch her back instead of using a back scratcher, the “Raging Bull” star confessed that it probably happened twice, but only when she felt itchy. a place where I couldn’t do it. Can not reach.
“Okay, twice? You got me! I’m saying this is nonsense,” fumed De Niro, who was wearing a dark gray polo shirt and a navy blue jacket.
“It was never done without disrespect,” the legendary actor continued.
“Shame on you, Chase Robinson!” He yelled at his accuser, who was in court.
At one point, De Niro also admitted that it was possible that he once asked Robinson to bring him a martini at the upscale Nobu sushi lounge at 11 p.m.
Robert De Niro, arriving in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, faces his former longtime assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. Alec Tabak
When asked about calling her twice while attending his grandmother’s funeral because he wanted her to buy his teenage son a bus ticket, the actor responded, “So?”
De Niro insisted he was “never abusive” to Robinson, but admitted he may have called her a “fucking spoiled brat” after missing a date because she didn’t wake him up.
“I could have done it too. I was upset,” she said. “She didn’t wake me up and she made me miss this in Malibu.”
De Niro’s lawyer in one case objected to the interrogation his famous client was forced to undergo, alleging an “inappropriate political trial.”
De Niro joked from the stand: “Impeachment? Are you accusing me?”
Robinson, 41, who allegedly stole from De Niro, has claimed that her former boss subjected her to unwanted touching, abusive language and discrimination for years. Gregorio P. Mango
As laughter erupted in the courtroom, including among the jurors, the actor said, “I had to say it, I’m sorry.”
His lawyer’s objection was dismissed.
The Hollywood star faces Robinson in a civil trial after accusing the once-trusted employee of raiding the coffers of his Canal Productions company, stealing millions of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles and binge-watching Netflix while in the country. job.
Her long legal battle began when the “Taxi Driver” actor’s production company sued her in August 2019, just months after Robinson abruptly resigned after 11 years.
When asked about an incident in which Robinson claims De Niro forced her to scratch her back instead of using a back scratcher, De Niro revealed that it probably happened twice, but only when she felt itchy in a place she couldn’t. reach.
Robinson quickly responded with her own $12 million lawsuit, accusing the acting legend of subjecting her to sexual harassment and intimidation while expecting her to work 24/7 and assume the role of his “wife.” office”.
One of her lawyers, Andrew Macurdy, who described Robinson as a loyal and dedicated employee, told jurors Tuesday that she first tried to resign in November 2018, but that De Niro had threatened to give her a bad reference.
“Are you saying I threatened her? I do not do that. “She worked for me, I treated her with respect,” De Niro responded on the stand.
When asked if Robinson had been a disloyal employee, De Niro responded: “Disloyal? I don’t know. Whatever. I wanted it back because he stole things from me and I wanted them back.
“The whole case is nonsense, it’s ridiculous,” he huffed. “I wanted my things back, that’s all I ask for. Give me back my things, give me back my airline miles. Enough is enough.
“She had taken things from me and hadn’t done the right thing. I asked her to return them but she didn’t do the right thing. “She asked me for a letter of recommendation, which under no circumstances would she ever sign,” she added.
In one particularly testy exchange, Macurdy accused De Niro and his company of rushing to file the actor’s lawsuit in an attempt to smear Robinson after she threatened legal action if the actor didn’t pay her compensation demands.
“You wanted to embarrass her,” the lawyer charged, questioning whether the star was trying to tarnish Robinson’s reputation in the press.
De Niro faces Robinson in a civil trial after accusing the once-trusted employee of raiding the coffers of his Canal Productions company, stealing millions of his frequent flyer miles and binge-watching Netflix while at work.Gregory P Handle
De Niro responded: “I don’t care about the press, I cared about her giving me my stuff back and doing the right thing.
“I didn’t want to ruin it,” he insisted. “I have no control over the press. She is more press oriented than I am. She should have thought, “I’ll give her the airline miles back.” Case closed, done.”
The actor testified that he told his then-assistant that he could transfer “1 to 2 million” of Delta SkyMiles from the company account to his personal account for emergency situations.
He said he trusted her to act in good faith based on “the honor system.”
“I wanted him to do it right, not go 5 million miles,” De Niro added.
Robinson, who began working for De Niro in 2008, claims in her lawsuit that she was “forced to resign” from her $300,000-a-year job in April 2019.
In her resignation email, which was read to jurors, Robinson wrote: “Throughout all the years I have worked for you, I have been loyal, protective (to the point of alienating others), honest and more than hardworking (80 -90 hours per week).
“I put my heart and soul into this job and as a result, other parts of my life and opportunities were put on hold. “You always came first.”
De Niro, in his lawsuit, claims that Robinson abruptly resigned when “suspicions arose” regarding his “honesty, integrity, work ethic and motivation.”
When his own lawyer, Laurent Drogin, asked him how he felt after receiving Robinson’s resignation, the actor responded: “I felt relieved.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn