Robert De Niro testified in lawsuit

NEW YORK

Robert De Niro testified on Oct. 30 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 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
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.