Currently, Robert De Niro is being sued by his former assistant, who said that the actor made “disgusting” and “creepy” demands on her, which made her feel “physically comfortable.” On the fifth day of the continuing trial at the Manhattan Federal Court, Graham Chase Robinson, the Hollywood legend’s former aide, broke down in tears in court.
Graham, 41, has sued Robert, 80, for allegedly subjecting her to gender discrimination when she was employed by his firm, Canal Productions, from 2008 to 2019.
She claims that when Robert asked her to scratch his back, it made her feel “physically uncomfortable.” She described the interaction as “disgusting” and “scary,” and said the actor persisted on her doing it because he liked “the way you do it”
“I mentioned there was a back scratcher he could use instead. He said, ‘I prefer the way you do it.’ It was creepy, just disgusting,” she stated.
She highlighted two drastic instances. One instance included the actor’s New York City townhouse catching fire, with Graham designated as an emergency contact. She said that Robert had chastised her for trying to take her name off the emergency contact list maintained by the security firm.
The second incident occurred in December 2017, when the actor lost his temper because he couldn’t find any Christmas gifts in the workplace. Graham filed his $12 million claim four years ago.
In her evidence on Thursday, Tiffany Chen, Robert’s girlfriend who is embroiled in the court dispute, called Graham “psychotic.” The verdicts from both lawsuits—one filed by Graham against Robert and the other by the actor against Graham—will be made public during the two-week trial.
