De Niro Lawsuit

Case Type: Gender Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation, Wage & Hour

Individual: Robert De Niro

Update: In a motion filed on December 16, Graham Chase Robinson asks the New York state court to stay, or dismiss, the lawsuit brought against her by Robert De Niro’s company, Canal Productions, Inc., arguing that Canal’s preemptive strike was an act of unlawful retaliation. The motion also asks the Court to strike several of Canal’s allegations, asserting that Canal’s demand for $6 million in damages is “clearly
excessive,” that its request for attorneys’ fees and costs is baseless, and that its widely-publicized allegations accusing Ms. Robinson of binge-watching television are false, scandalous, and prejudicial. Finally, the motion asks the Court to dismiss with prejudice Canal’s claim of fraud, calling the claim “inherently implausible” and “fatally deficient.”

Sanford Heisler Sharp filed a lawsuit on October 3, 2019, against actor, producer, and director Robert De Niro and his corporate alter ego, Canal Productions, Inc. The lawsuit alleges that De Niro and Canal Productions subjected their longtime employee, Graham Chase Robinson, to a hostile work environment, including unwelcome physical contact, sexually-charged comments, verbal abuse, and sex-stereotyping. The complaint also accuses De Niro and Canal Productions of retaliating against Ms. Robinson after she objected to the harassment and other unlawful practices. Among other things, the complaint describes how, on the heels of Ms. Robinson’s protected complaints, De Niro had Canal file a retaliatory lawsuit against her designed to inhibit her from pursuing her claims, destroy her reputation, and obliterate her job  prospects.

As recounted in the complaint, De Niro was verbally abusive to Ms. Robinson and would frequently bully, berate, and curse at her. One example, among his many tirades, was captured in a voicemail where De Niro berated and cursed at Ms. Robinson, calling her a “spoiled brat,” saying “how dare you f***ing disrespect me,” and threatening her, saying “you’re f***ing history.”

You can listen to the voicemail here (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE):