Robert De Niro’s film production company has filed a $6 million lawsuit against a former employee for “breaching her fiduciary duties” after being accused of embezzling money and binge-watching Netflix at work, including reportedly watching 55 episodes of Friends in just four days.
Chase Robinson, who was made vice-president of production and finance at Canal Productions in 2017, left the company in April of this year amid growing concerns about alleged “corporate sabotage,” the suit states.
Robinson, who was first hired as an assistant to the 76-year-old Hollywood actor in 2008, is accused of charging hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal expenses on the company card, transferring millions of company frequent flyer miles to her own account, rarely coming into the office and spending “astronomical amounts of time” watching Netflix during work hours, according to Variety.
During a four-day period in January, Robinson is alleged to have watched 55 episodes of sitcom Friends, while ordering lunch on one of those days from high-end delivery service Caviar San Francisco and having dinner at lavish Manhattan eatery Paolo’s Restaurant. Both of these meals were reportedly charged to the company card. She also is accused of watching 20 episodes of Arrested Development and 10 episodes of Schitt’s Creek during a four-day period in March.
The suit also alleges that Robinson racked up $32,000 in unauthorized charges for personal Uber and taxi rides, $12,696.65 at Paola’s and $8,923.20 at luxury grocers Dean and Deluca and Whole Foods. She is accused of using her expense reports to also pay for personal items such as iPhones, a Louis Vuitton handbag and a dog sitter.
Robinson allegedly submitted false information to the company’s accountant claiming she hadn’t taken any vacation in nearly four years and was therefore entitled to a payout for the “unused” days. But Canal Productions claims emails reveal she took all her vacation days during this period and in fact she exceeded her time off allowance.
The lawsuit seeks $3 million in damages for Robinson’s “disloyalty and violation or the faithless servant doctrine,” and a further $3 million in damages for the value of funds and property “misappropriated” by Robinson while at the company.
The suit states: “Robinson’s position required Mr. De Niro to place full faith, trust and confidence in her that she would carry out her duties and responsibilities in Canal’s best interests, mindfully overseeing the finances and other employees.”
“Watching shows on Netflix was not in any way part of or related to the duties and responsibilities of Robinson’s employment and, on information and belief, was done for her personal entertainment, amusement and pleasure at times when she was being paid to work,” the lawsuit adds.
Robinson’s resignation email in April said concerns about her spending were “ridiculous,” according to Variety. The suit also states that she would go on to draft a recommendation letter for herself, but that De Niro refused to sign it. On professional networking site LinkedIn, Robinson’s account still states she is an employee of Canal Productions.
Robinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.
Source: www.newsweek.com
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