Robert De Niro's former aide wins gender discrimination claim for $1.2 million

Robert De Niro's former personal assistant received more than $1.2 million Thursday from a jury for working in a hazardous environment.

The jury found Canal Productions guilty of gender discrimination and retaliation against former assistant Graham Chase Robinson and ordered two $632,142 settlements to her. De Niro was not personally accountable for the mistreatment.

De Niro, who spent three days at the two-week trial, including two on the witness stand, has been in lawsuits with Robinson since she departed in April 2019. The verdict was read Thursday afternoon without him in the courtroom.

Robinson, 41, smiled during the verdict. She hugged her lawyers when the jury left.

Both sides' lawyers took victory.

“We're thrilled with the verdict,” Robinson's attorney, Brent Hannafan, said outside the courthouse. Can't be happier."

According to De Niro attorney Richard Schoenstein, the verdict was “a great victory for Mr. De Niro.”

“He is absolved. He is not liable for anything that was charged against him at all,” Schoenstein said. A small award against the firm. But, you know, they were looking for $12 million.”

The lawyer suggested De Niro's lawyers may ask the judge to lessen the award using post-verdict petitions, but he wasn't sure. Whether there would be an appeal was unknown.

Robinson claimed that De Niro, 80, and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, conspired to ruin her dream job.

De Niro and Chen testified that Robinson became the issue when she demanded more money to stay at Canal Productions, her employer.

Jurors saw emails in which Chen told De Niro she thought Robinson was having “imaginary intimacy” with him and wished she was his wife. Robinson denied romantic interest in De Niro.

The actor testified for two days that he raised Robinson's income from $100,000 to $300,000 and promoted her to vice president of production and finance at her request, even though her duties remained the same.