Robert De Niro shouted “shame on you!” in a New York courtroom, during his ex-assistant’s abuse case against him.
Graham Chase Robinson is suing De Niro for $12m (£9.9m) in damages for “severe emotional distress and reputational harm”, claiming he shouted at her and called her abusive names.
Ms Robinson sat with her lawyers while De Niro became increasingly angry as attorney Andrew Macurdy levelled accusations against the actor made by Ms Robinson.
She was paid $300,000 a year when she stopped working for him, and is also said to be frustrated by her interactions with De Niro’s partner.
The Oscar winner has also filed a lawsuit against Ms Robinson, which the jury is considering, where he claimed she stole things from him, including five million airline points, and is seeking the return of three years’ salary.
Read more:
Matthew Perry’s ex-fiancee pays tribute to ‘talented’ and ‘complicated’ actor
Matthew Perry: A life in pictures
While in the stand, De Niro was asked whether it was true he sometimes urinated as he spoke to his former employee on the phone.
He answered: “That’s nonsense. You got us all here for this?”
Mr Macurdy told De Niro he called Ms Robinson a “b**** to her face”.
“I was never abusive, ever”, De Niro responded, though he admitted he may have used the work during conversations.
De Niro also rebuked a claim he preferred Ms Robinson scratched his back instead of using a device to do it, telling the court it may have happened occasionally, but “never with disrespect or lewdness”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
April 2022: De Niro on political ‘big untruths’
He then looked towards his former employee and shouted: “Shame on you, Chase Robinson.”
After Judge Lewis J Liman glanced at him, he apologised in a quieter voice.
The 80-year-old has won two Oscars in a six-decade-long film career, and is currently starring in the latest Martin Scorsese drama Killers Of The Flower Moon.
The trial continues.
