'Joker' star Robert De Niro hit with harassment lawsuit

Actor’s former assistant accuses him of abusive, sexist comments

Robert De Niro was slapped with a gender discrimination lawsuit on Thursday by his former female executive assistant, who claimed the Taxi Driver star hurled “abusive and sexist comments” at her and engaged in “inappropriate conduct” that included “gratuitous unwanted physical contact.”

De Niro and his corporate alter ego, Canal Productions, reportedly subjected his longtime assistant Graham Chase Robinson to years of gender discrimination and harassment. Robinson alleged the same in the suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court, which also claims he shorted her on overtime pay.

PHOTO: FILE

“She eventually quit because she could no longer endure the hostile work environment,” according to Robinson’s suit, which seeks at least $12 million in damages. The complaint contains a link to a profanity-laden voicemail De Niro allegedly left her in which he raged, “How dare you disrespect me?”

'Joker' raises concerns of inciting violence

Robinson’s lawyer Alexandra Harwin stated, “De Niro made demands of Ms Robinson that he never imposed on males. De Niro’s treatment of Ms Robinson was inappropriate, demeaning, abusive, and intolerable, and he needs to be held accountable.”

PHOTO: FILE

Tom Harvey, an attorney for De Niro, ridiculed the claims. “The allegations made by Graham Chase Robinson against Robert De Niro are beyond absurd,” he said in a statement. The suit comes two months after De Niro’s Canal Productions sued Robinson in New York state court.

Robinson’s lawyer Harwin called DeNiro’s suit “a naked act of retribution and intimidation.” On the work front, De Niro, who once played infamous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, is starring in two big films, Joker and The Irishman.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.