The Verdict Against DeNiro’s Production Company

            I have always enjoyed Robert DeNiro’s movies. The Godfather, Part II is, of course, a classic: he portrayed the young Vito Corleone making his way in New York City in the early twentieth century on his way to controlling organized crime.

            But there are others as well. His role in Meet the Parents let us see that he could excel at comedy as well as drama. In Raging Bull he made you feel like you were in the ring with Jake LaMotta, the troubled middleweight champion that he projected onto the screen.

            Last week he was part of real-life drama being played in a state court in New York City. There are more than a couple going on in that city right now.

            DeNiro and his production company, Canal Productions, were sued by the actor’s former personal assistant Graham Chase Robinson for discrimination and retaliation.

            According to Ms. Robinson, the actor and his company had assigned her “stereotypically female” job responsibilities even after she had risen from “personal assistant” to vice president in charge of production at the company.

            Ms. Robinson, who had worked for Mr. DeNiro and his company for eleven years before resigning in 2019, had seen her work relationship with the Oscar-winner deteriorate as she clashed with Mr. DeNiro’s girlfriend. Mr. DeNiro’s girlfriend believed that Ms. Robinson acted as if she were Mr. DeNiro’s wife and the hostilities increased.

            After she resigned, Mr. DeNiro’s company began scrutinizing her use of the company’s credit card and expense account and ultimately brought suit against her for misusing the company credit card and enriching herself with goods, services, and airline travel miles.

            She countersued claiming that she was a victim of gender stereotyping and discrimination which led to her resignation. Her lawsuit alleged that Mr. DeNiro “does not accept the idea that men should treat women as equals. He does not care that gender discrimination in the workplace violates the law.” She asserted that Mr. DeNiro was verbally abusive to her and treated her like his “office wife,” assigning her stereotypically female duties like housework, and underpaying her “because she was not a male breadwinner.”

            After she advised Mr. DeNiro that she was contemplating a lawsuit, Mr. DeNiro struck first, filing the expense account suit which she then claimed was retaliatory. As a result she claimed that her reputation and career had been destroyed and that she suffered severe emotional distress.

            The case ultimately went before a jury and last week. The jury returned its verdict exonerating Mr. DeNiro, but finding his company liable to the tune of 1.3 million dollars in damages. The jury found that by its actions, the company had given Ms. Robinson no choice but to resign from her employment because the job conditions had deteriorated so dramatically that she could no longer endure the discriminating and demeaning treatment to which she had been subjected.

            She presented evidence that Mr. DeNiro frequently used profane language when addressing her and that he inappropriately made physical contact with her from time to time.

            I suspect that ultimately the jury just did not like DeNiro in rendering its verdict. I have seen far worse cases of discrimination that never even make it to a jury. I suppose that, in this case, fame and fortune worked against Mr. DeNiro notwithstanding his boorish behavior.