Robert De Niro's Daughter's Allegedly Sent a 'Threatening' Text Message to Ex-Assistant Amid Court Battle

Robert De Niro's ongoing legal battle with his former assistant, Graham Chase Robinson, took a shocking turn when Robinson accused a family member of the actor of sending her a threatening text message during the trial. The contentious lawsuit began when De Niro sued Robinson for $6 million back in 2019, alleging misconduct during her employment. However, Robinson countered with a $12 million gender discrimination lawsuit against De Niro.

The text message in question, shared with the court, read, "You disgusting little beast... you have nothing better to do with your pathetic life than destroy an 80-year-old man's life for money. You piece of s---. He lost a grandson only four months ago and has to deal with a scumbag like you. Sickening, hopefully you and your family will suffer like you have made so many suffer," as per Fox News.

Robinson's attorney brought this disturbing text to the judge's attention, prompting a call for De Niro and his team to instruct their family members not to contact Robinson during the trial. The lawyer said, "My client received a text message, a threatening text message, that the iPhone — I don’t know if your Honor is aware of this feature of iPhone that if you don’t have a number, it suggests who the person may be, and it suggested it was a daughter of Mr. De Niro." He further stated, "We Googled the number, and it did return back a connection to that individual’s social media." The judge agreed to this request, emphasizing the need to minimize any outside influence on the proceedings. 

In response to the text message, De Niro's lawyer claimed to have no prior knowledge of it, assuring that they would instruct their clients to avoid contacting the plaintiff. De Niro himself appeared in court for the closing arguments of the trial, wearing a face mask and watching the proceedings from behind Robinson, with their respective legal teams present.

Throughout the trial, the accusations and counter-accusations have escalated, with De Niro's attorney characterizing Robinson as a 'thief' who fabricated gender discrimination claims for financial gain, according to The Daily Mail. Robinson's legal team, on the other hand, argued that she had been afraid to leave De Niro's company due to his influence in the entertainment industry, ultimately leading to her legal action. The lawsuit centers on Robinson's allegations of gender discrimination, including claims that De Niro verbally abused her, paid his male trainer more than her, and created a hostile work environment. De Niro's attorney downplayed these allegations, arguing that the use of strong language or occasional inappropriate comments did not constitute discrimination and suggested that Robinson's claims emerged only after lawyers got involved.

As the trial drew to a close, both sides made their final appeals to the jury. Robinson's attorney urged the jury to consider her fears of leaving a powerful figure like De Niro and suggested that she deserved significant damages for the harm she had endured. De Niro's attorney emphasized that Robinson had received generous salary increases during her time with the company and questioned the validity of her claims.

Ultimately, it fell upon the jury to deliberate and render a verdict in this closely watched case. In an update, it has been reported that De Niro's former assistant, Robinson, has emerged victorious in her gender discrimination lawsuit against his company, Canal Productions, as per Vanity Fair. However, De Niro himself was also absovled of the charges, as per Deadline.