Robert De Niro's Production Company Found Liable for $12 Million Payout in Employee Lawsuit

Actor Robert De Niro's production company, Canal Productions, was found guilty of gender discrimination and retaliation by a Manhattan jury in a civil trial involving a workplace dispute brought by De Niro's former assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. Robinson, who served as De Niro's executive assistant in 2008 and advanced to the position of vice president before her departure in 2019, received $1.264 million in damages for both charges, as confirmed by Robinson's attorney to CNN on Thursday.

Robinson's lawyer, David Sanford, stated on Thursday that the jury's verdict favored Chase Robinson against Robert De Niro's company, Canal Productions. They were pleased with the outcome as the jury not only ruled in Ms. Robinson's favor regarding her case against Canal, but also declared De Niro's claims against her to be baseless. This serves as a complete vindication for Ms. Robinson.

The jury did not hold De Niro personally responsible for the allegations of gender discrimination and retaliation.

As per the New York Times, Richard C. Schoenstein, the attorney representing De Niro and Canal Productions, stated on Thursday outside the court that "Mr. De Niro has been cleared of all charges." However, he expressed uncertainty regarding Canal Productions' intentions to challenge the verdict.

CNN has contacted Schoenstein to obtain their comment.

Robinson demanded a minimum of $12 million in compensation for purported emotional distress and damage to her reputation from De Niro and Canal Productions. She asserted that she faced gender discrimination while employed by De Niro, claiming that he referred to her as an "office wife" and assigned her tasks like laundering his linens, sewing his clothes, and scratching his back.

"Ms. Robinson's complaint alleges that De Niro, along with his corporate identity Canal Productions, Inc., subjected her to prolonged mistreatment based on her gender. The contentions further state that due to the hostile work environment, she made the difficult decision to resign.

In 2019, Canal Productions countersued Robinson, claiming that she engaged in excessive television viewing during work hours, transferred over $450,000 worth of airline miles to her personal account, and inappropriately sought reimbursement for personal expenses related to food, travel, and other purchases."

Robinson refuted De Niro's accusations in her legal case. Additionally, the company had pursued the reimbursement of her three-year salary along with other compensatory measures. Nevertheless, on Thursday, she was absolved of these allegations as the jury deemed her not responsible for Canal Productions' claims of mishandling corporate resources.

Last week, De Niro took the stand as a witness, vehemently dismissing Robinson's allegations against him as baseless. He did, however, acknowledge Robinson's claim that he had requested her to scratch his back on a couple of occasions, although he insisted that it was not done in a lewd or disrespectful manner.