Robert De Niro’s company sues an ex-employee for binge-watching Netflix during work hours. One of the most decorated actors of all time, De Niro’s formidable career has spanned four decades, with roles in iconic films including Raging Bull, Wag the Dog, Meet the Parents, Silver Linings Playbook, and The Godfather Part II - the film that snagged him his first Oscar.
Not limited to onscreen talent, De Niro has tackled capital ventures, such as co-founding the film studio TriBeCa Productions, the Tribeca film festival, a handful of successful restaurants, and investing in the loan-out company, Canal Productions. Canal Production’s employee, Chase Robinson, started as De Niro’s personal assistant and quickly ascended to the position of Vice President of Production & Finance - netting a $300,000 salary. After a decade-long tenure working for the Taxi Driver star, Robinson abruptly quit when suspicions arose of her dishonesty, and lack of integrity. Recently, a lawsuit was filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court revealing that De Niro’s company is suing Robinson, alleging that Robinson’s misconduct included watching too much Netflix at work.
As reported to Variety, De Niro’s company is seeking $6 million in damages, claiming Robinson embezzled funds and binged an astronomical amount of Netflix, on the company’s Netflix account, in lieu of work-related duties. Allegedly, Robinson watched 55 episodes of Friends, over a four-day period. In March, Robinson supposedly binged 20 episodes of Arrested Development and 10 episodes of Schitt’s Creek during five workdays. Absorbing work hours with the streaming giant is not Robinson’s only offense. She also allegedly used 3 million of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles for personal trips, racked up $32,000 on Uber rides, and charged the company card $8,932 for groceries.
Due to her seniority in the company, Robinson was in a position to approve her own expenses. Upon quitting, Robinson labeled the suspicions against her as erroneous, and De Niro refused to sign her hand-written resignation. Currently, the suit is seeking repayment of all cash, goods, and frequent flyer miles, however, the hours logged into Netflix are irretrievable.
Recently, the results of a survey revealed that approximately 37 percent of employees have watched Netflix at work. However, those who admitted to binging shows didn't provide answers on how they managed to sneak the streaming giant into a workday. Regardless of the ease of accessibility, one consuming Netflix while on the dime of one’s employers is not acceptable behavior. Perhaps executives, like De Niro, will eventually find themselves in a position to create an anti-Netflix policy for their companies. After all, De Niro’s highly anticipated The Irishman is expected to drop on Netflix soon, and will no doubt cause a few employees to tune-in while on the job.
Source: Variety