Robert De Niro's Company Sues Employee for $6 Million Who Allegedly Binged Friends at Work
Robert De Niro‘s Company, Canal Productions, has filed a $6 million lawsuit against a former employee who they allege binge-watched Netlfix on the job and embezzled money.
Chase Robinson — who was first hired as an assistant to De Niro in 2008 and was later promoted to “Vice President of Production & Finance” to ensure that Canal was not being used by employees for their own personal gain or expenses — has been accused of abusing her position to inappropriately use “her employer’s fund for her personal gain.”
Robinson didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Robinson allegedly ran up huge gratuities bills on the company American Express card. She also used millions of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles for personal trips, and submitted false information to get paid for 96 days of “unused” vacation time, for which she received $70,000, per the filing.
The suit, which was filed on Aug. 16, alleges that she spent $12,696.65 in unauthorized charges at Paola’s Restaurant over the course of two years, on top of $8,923.20 at Dean and Deluca and Whole Foods.
She also spent $32,000 on Ubers and taxis, according to the documents, and bought herself a $1,311.94 flower arrangement for her birthday.
The company also alleges that she “loafed during working hours” and spent “astronomical amounts of time” watching Netlix when she was supposed to be working.
During one four-day period in January, she allegedly watched 55 episodes of Friends. In another four-day period during March, Canal claims she watched 20 episodes of Arrested Development and 10 episodes of Schitt’s Creek.
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According to the filing, Robinson was making an annual salary of $300,000 while working for Canal, and she “abruptly resigned” from her position via email on April 6, 2019.
In her email she “brushed off” any concerns the company had about her for “corporate sabotage” and even went on to write herself a recommendation later in June, which De Niro refused to sign.
De Niro’s company is seeking no less than $3 million for her “disloyalty and violation of the faithless servant doctrine” and no less than $3 million in damages for the “funds and property misappropriated by Defendant during her employment.”
