Robert De Niro admitted in a Manhattan court that he ordered his former assistant to scratch his back, angrily declaring:You got me!».

The 80-year-old actor faces allegations of discrimination against his former assistant, Graham Chase Robinson, 41, in a four-year legal battle that reached court last Monday.

His former assistant has accused the famous actor of gender discrimination while working for his company, Canal Productions. De Niro’s company initially sued Robinson, alleging she was improperly spending the company’s accounts, according to a Daily Mail report.

On the second day of the trial, De Niro appeared angry as he took the stand to refute allegations that he subjected Robinson to years of unwanted physical contact, misogyny and verbal abuse.

In an unexpected moment while in the dock, the Oscar-winning actor said aloud in the courtroom: “Shame on you, Chase Robinson! I am sorry”.

Robinson began working for the actor in 2008 as his assistant and eventually rose to the position of vice president of Canal Productions. It has been reported that he had a salary of $300,000 when he resigned in April 2019.

In her lawsuit, she claims that De Niro treated her like an “office wife” and forced her to perform menial tasks such as washing his sheets and scratching his back. Robinson also claims she was paid less than a male employee who she believed had similar responsibilities.

She is seeking $12 million in damages for severe emotional distress and that the controversy damaged her reputation.

On Tuesday, De Niro faced questions about his alleged abuse of Robinson, including an incident where he allegedly ordered Robinson to scratch his back. When she asked him if he could use a back scratcher, he refused as he liked the way she did it, the court heard. The star admitted in court that the back scratching occurred on two occasions. “Okay, twice? You got me! I say this is nonsense’ he told the court. “It was never disrespectful».