“Robert De Niro is ready … speaking about bus tickets,” weren’t the lyrics I keep in mind from Bananarama’s 80s hit, however that is the chorus that performed in court docket this week.
The Godfather actor has been within the dock in New York battling his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson. She is suing the 80-year-old actor for $12 million for gender discrimination, alleging improper spending, together with transferring $450,000 in air miles to her private account.
In keeping with Robinson, 41, who began as his assistant and have become vp of his manufacturing firm, De Niro’s misdemeanors included making her “his work spouse” and asking her to do issues like scratch his again and wash his sheets.
She alleged that he would name early within the morning and late at night time, together with twice when she was at her grandmother’s funeral, to ask her to purchase a bus ticket for her son.
The court docket heard how he additionally as soon as had her ship him a martini from Nobu late at night time in an Uber, which he claimed was justified. Two takeaways from that – that should be one hell of a martini, and Nobu’s advertising and marketing workforce is little doubt high-fiving themselves.
The Raging Bull star dismissed her declare that he was abusive and misplaced a few of his edge when he yelled: “Disgrace on you, Chase Robinson!”
Oh, how I really like a nasty boss story, particularly when it isn’t taking place to me. Who would need to work for a star anyway? The one time I’ve ever seen it play out positively was in The White Lotus 2 and that is as a result of Tanya fell off a yacht and Portia might lastly go house.
To be honest to De Niro, many people have endured a phone-loving boss who sends emails at 6:30 or name on the weekend, however you’d suppose there was another person within the De Niro family who might have helped purchase a bus ticket whereas his assistant mourned her grandmother. There’s by no means any excuse to hoover another person’s life and count on them to exist just for you, even if you happen to’re an A-lister.
Nonetheless, he is removed from alone – Girl Gaga has beforehand settled an time beyond regulation case from her assistant, Jennifer O’Neill, who revealed she needed to keep in the identical room because the singer on The Monster Ball Tour so she might stand up at night time to vary DVDs.
Mariah Carey was additionally sued by former nanny Simonette DaCosta for time beyond regulation pay. She claimed she needed to be on responsibility 24 hours a day, “with out the correct to breaks, to meals and even to sleep.”
After which there was Naomi Campbell who, as an alternative of annoying her assistants by calling them an excessive amount of, threw the telephones at them – after a number of alleged incidents, she famously did neighborhood service in 2007 for throwing a bejeweled BlackBerry at housekeeper Ana Scolavino’s head , inflicting her to wish stitches.
As for De Niro, he apparently forgot the second half of the saying: “You scratch my again and …” He most likely would have been higher off letting Robinson fly distant with these air miles and have the following assistant deal with his soiled linen.
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