Robert De Niro's former personal assistant Graham Chase Robinson breaks down in ... trends now
Robert De Niro's former assistant broke down in tears in court on Friday as she recalled the 'creepy' and 'disgusting' moment he ordered her to scratch his back.
Graham Chase Robinson, 41, is suing the actor, 80, for alleged gender discrimination while she worked at his company Canal Productions between 2008 and 2019.
During her testimony at Manhattan Federal Court on the fifth day of the high-profile trial, Robinson accused De Niro of making her feel 'physically uncomfortable' by asking her to scratch his back because he preferred 'the way you do it'.
The actor previously admitted to asking Robinson to scratch his back 'once or twice', but said it was never done with 'any disrespect'.
She also claimed he called her 'b****' two or three times during her employment and frequently berated her - which she described as 'hurtful' and 'demeaning'.
Graham Chase Robinson broke down in court as she described how former boss Robert DeNiro asked her to scratch his back, branding the request as 'creepy'
Robinson said she told De Niro he could use a back scratcher but he told her 'I prefer the way you do it' - which she said made her feel 'uncomfortable'
De Niro, pictured in New York on Thursday night, admitted he may have asked her to scratch his back once or twice but 'never was with disrespect or lewdness'
Robinson's $12 million lawsuit was filed four years ago, shortly after De Niro sued her for misuse of the company's accounts.
She claimed De Niro asked her to scratch his back around three times in the past three years.
'I mentioned there was a back scratcher he could use instead,' she told the court.
'He said 'I prefer the way you do it'.'
'It was creepy, just disgusting,' she added before breaking down in tears.
Robinson also claimed she was called a 'b****' by De Niro on more than one occasion while she worked for him.
She said the first incident occurred when a fire broke out at his New York City townhouse and she was listed as an emergency contact with the security company.
'I tried to take my name off ADT as I didn't live there and it wasn't a liability or responsibility I wanted,' Robinson told the court.
'Bob [De Niro] was really angry and he started berating me and said I was complaining and that he did not want to hear it.
'He hung up and called back, berating me more and said I was 'acting like a little b****' and hung up again.'
She recalled another incident in December 2017 in which Di Niro was allegedly furious because he could not find some Christmas presents in the office.
'He was screaming about not being able to find some of the presents in the office,' Robinson said.
'He was cursing left and right. I was trying to sort it but he just said I was being a b****.
'I was complaining about him berating me and said please don't curse at me.'
She became emotional and said: 'It was very difficult. It is very demeaning and hurtful to be called that when you are just trying to do your job.
'It is extremely hurtful to hear that from your boss.'
Her remarks come after De Niro lost his temper as he testified in the trial on Tuesday.
In a startling moment while on the stand, the Oscar-winning actor confronted Robinson and said before a stunned courtroom: 'Shame on you, Chase Robinson! God da**it! I'm sorry.'
The 41-year-old is suing De Niro, 80, for alleged gender discrimination while she worked at his company Canal Productions
The Taxi Driver actor allegedly called Robinson a 'b****' between two or three times during her employment for his company, Canal Productions, she said during her testimony
The former assistant, picture here leaving court earlier this week, filed her lawsuit shortly after De Niro sued her for misuse of company funds
Meanwhile, his girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 64, slammed the actor's former assistant as 'psychotic' in fiery testimony on Thursday.
She took the stand to berate De Niro's former staffer Graham Chase Robinson, who she claimed had an 'imaginary intimacy' with the Oscar winner.
Chen admitted she pressured De Niro to fire Robinson after their relationship soured over issues including catering on his private jet and renovations at their Manhattan townhouse.
Her testimony came after a number of hostile email and text exchanges between Chen, Robinson and De Niro were shown to the jury days before, including a 2am email from Chen to the actor saying: 'If you keep her
