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Robert De Niro and Graham Chase Robinson. (AP/Sanford Heisler Sharp)
A former employee at Robert De Niro’s production company slammed “The Irishman” actor with a federal lawsuit on Thursday claiming he harassed her and discriminated against her for being a woman – then retaliated against her when she told him of her plans to take legal action, according to bombshell court papers.
“Ms. [Graham Chase] Robinson has no choice but … to send him a message: the Harvey Weinsteins of this world should realize their approach is extinct. You can no longer intimidate women. You can no longer threaten them,” Robinson’s attorney, Jeremy Heisler, told FOX Business.
In one example, De Niro allegedly went ballistic on the woman, calling her a “spoiled brat” in an explicit voicemail when she did not answer his phone call, according to the suit.
“How dare you f—— disrespect me?,” he said in the voicemail, in which he also told her: “You’re f—— history.”
BOMBSHELL AUDIO: DENIRO TERRORIZES FEMALE EMPLOYEE IN PROFANITY-LACED TIRADE
In a statement provided to FOX Business, De Niro’s attorney, Tom Harvey, called Robinson’s allegations “beyond absurd.”
Robinson worked for De Niro’s Canal Productions, Inc., from 2008 to 2018.
“She joined as an idealistic young woman who hoped to advance in the film industry have her own production company, but instead of giving their challenging assignments and giving her duties that match her titles, he demeaned her, treated her as… [an] object — as a woman and therefore his possession.”
Instead, De Niro allegedly gave her “unwanted physical contact,” and made unwanted “sexually charged” comments, court papers show.
“He treated Ms. Robinson as his ‘office wife,’ assigned her stereotypically female duties like housework, and insisted that she be available to him around the clock.”
Graham Chase Robinson (Sanford Heisler Sharp)
Robinson claims she complained repeatedly and told De Niro she wanted to resign.
“But he would threaten her that there would be ‘repercussions,'” he added. “And given De Niro’s power, she was intimidated because she was afraid he might ruin any future career. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and she resigned in April 2018.”
The claim also accuses De Niro of filing a lawsuit of his own in August – after he was allegedly advised by Robinson’s attorney that she would be taking legal action against him.
The August court papers, which name Canal Productions, rather than De Niro, as a plaintiff, accused Robinson of stealing hundreds of thousands of company dollars and credit card benefits before suddenly resigning.
“Her goals are to restore her reputation and to vindicate the rights of female employees everywhere against powerful, sexist, unbridled ‘Raging Bull’ men – or any just plain sexist,” Heisler concluded. “The sense of entitlement has to go.”
We know Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower haven’t always had a blissful relationship, so it could be that the relationship petered out on its own. The actor said as much, according to Us Magazine:
Apparently loves African American Women !
“Grace and I have two beautiful children together. We are entering a period of transition in our relationship, which is a difficult but constructive process. I ask for privacy and respect from all as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting.”
However, there’s a chance the divorce has a political undertow. Hightower supports Donald Trump, while De Niro loves busting out ruthless Trump tirades left and right.
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Reports say many fans believe their separation may be politically motivated, as Hightower is a reported Trump supporter while DeNiro has publicly criticized the POTUS on several occasions.https://trib.al/cLKyu98
Robert DeNiro & Grace Hightower Split After Over 20 Years of Marriage
Robert DeNiro has reportedly split from wife, Grace Hightower, with many believing her reported support for Trump being the reason.
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Abbott and De Niro divorced in 1988 after 11 years of marriage. Now Abbott runs a cameo in New York where she sings “Honeysuckle Rose,” a classic torch song by Fats Waller. Gregory Abbott is Diahnne Abbott’s cousin. What triggered their divorce you wonder? In the 1980’s Robert De Niro was a successful actor and had a considerable net worth. De Niro and his ex-wife Abbott used to live lavishly and partied a lot. But De Niro was fighting demons at the time and he used to use cocaine and had multiple women. As a result, Abbott filed a divorce after she discovered that her husband was cheating on her. Abbott also learned that Niro was partying with Martin Scorsese and John Belushi, and realized their marriage wouldn’t work. Despite their bitter break up, Abbott’s children still hang out with their father and have been spotted together in many events. There are speculations that after Abbott divorced De Niro, she moved to her parents home in New York and she is currently living in her own apartment in New York. Abbott also meets her children once in a while but has no contact with her ex-husband.