Florida residents who follow celebrity news may be aware that Robert De Niro is embroiled in a legal battle with one of his Illinois-based film production company’s former vice presidents. The woman, who resigned her position in April, claims that the 76-year-old actor acted inappropriately toward her and gave her demeaning tasks to perform. De Niro alleges that his former executive used her company credit card to pay personal expenses and spent hours each day binge-watching television shows instead of working.
De Niro’s Canal Productions initiated the legal dispute by filing a $6 million lawsuit against the woman in August 2017. The company accused their former vice president of breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and breach of duty of loyalty. The fraud allegations stem from hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal expenses the woman is said to have used a corporate credit card to pay. Canal Productions says the woman resigned abruptly when details of her alleged criminal activities began to emerge.
The woman claims that the litigation is retaliatory and filed a $12 million lawsuit of her own on Oct. 3. She accuses Di Nero of paying her less than a man who performed a similar role and making inappropriate and vulgar statements in her presence. She also claims that Di Nero ordered her to perform stereotypically female tasks such as vacuuming his apartment, sewing his clothes and choosing gifts for his children.
Workers who have been treated unfairly sometimes seek Boca Raton, Florida sexual harassment legal assistance when their employers file lawsuits against them. When the allegations contained in these lawsuits are without merit and the litigation appears to have been initiated in retaliation or to deter an employee from pursuing legal remedies, attorneys with experience in this area may seek to have them dismissed. Attorneys might also take action to recover damages for retaliation as well as workplace discrimination or harassment.