Chase Robinson, a former senior employee at Robert De Niro’s film company Canal Productions, has been sued $6 million for embezzlement and bingeing Netflix during work hours.
Robinson, who was vice-president of production and finance at the company, has been accused of wasting “astronomical amounts of time” watching Netflix when she was supposed to be working, according to a lawsuit seen by Variety.
The suit also states that despite being paid an annual salary of $300,000, Robinson abused expense accounts to pay restaurant and hotel bills as well as using De Niro’s air miles for personal trips.
It also alleges that Robinson watched 55 episodes of Friends during one four-day period. Across another four days she allegedly viewed 20 episodes of Arrested Developmentand 10 of Schitt’s Creek.
“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,” states the suit.
According to Variety, in Robinson’s resignation email in April she dismissed concerns about her spending and other problems as “ridiculous”. The suit also states that she drafted a recommendation letter for herself, which De Niro refused to sign.
De Niro can next be seen opposite Joaquin Phoenix in The Joker and in Martin Scosese’s forthcoming Netflix film The Irishman.
