Robert De Niro to testify in sensational showdown with ex-assistant in Manhattan

nypost.com:

Manhattan court showdown with his former assistant, who has accused him of everything from unwanted touching to making lewd jokes about his Viagra prescription.The 80-year-old “Raging Bull” Oscar winner was expected to take the stand on the first day of his civil-trial face-off involving ex-longtime right-hand woman Graham Chase Robinson, his lawyers confirmed to The Post.The pair’s long-running legal battle first erupted when the “Taxi Driver” actor’s production company, Canal Productions, sued Robinson in August 2019 — alleging the once-trusted employee had raided company coffers, binge-watched “Friends” and Netflix at work and even stole millions of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles.Robinson fired back with her own $12 million suit two months later, accusing her former boss of subjecting her to sexual harassment and bullying while forcing her to assume the role of his “office wife.” The assistant, who started working for De Niro in 2008, alleged that De Niro assigned her “stereotypically female job duties that were inconsistent with her job title” — including putting away his boxers, washing his sheets and setting his table. “Among other things, De Niro [also] would direct Ms Robinson to scratch his back, button his shirts and prod him awake when he was in bed,” her filing alleges. “De Niro also stood idly by while his friend slapped Ms.

Robinson on her buttocks.”The civil trial, which involves both lawsuits and is expected to last two weeks, was getting under way Monday with jury selection and opening statements.De Niro and Robinson are expected to make their cases over 20 hours each, according to court records.