A bellowing Robert De Niro took center stage again in Manhattan federal court Tuesday as he begrudgingly copped to asking his former personal assistant to scratch his back — before exploding, “You got me!”
The blustery famed 80-year-old Oscar winner got defensive on the stand for the second day running as he attempted to rebuff accusations from longtime ex-staffer Graham Chase Robinson, 41, that he was a terrible boss who subjected her to years of unwanted touching, abusive language and demeaning misogynistic tasks.
Asked about an incident where Robinson claims De Niro forced her to scratch his back instead of using a back-scratcher, the “Raging Bull’’ star confessed it likely happened twice — but only when he had an itch in a spot where he couldn’t reach.
“Ok, twice? You got me! I’m saying this is nonsense,” fumed De Niro, who was dressed in a dark grey polo shirt and navy blazer.
“It was never done with any disrespect,” the legendary actor continued.
“Shame on you, Chase Robinson!” he shouted at his accuser, who was in court.
At one point, De Niro also admitted it was possible he once asked Robinson to Uber him a martini from the upscale Nobu sushi lounge at 11 p.m.
When asked about calling her twice while she was attending her grandmother’s funeral because he wanted her to buy his teen son a bus ticket, the actor replied, “So?”
De Niro’s lawyer objected in one instance to the questioning his famous client was forced to undergo, claiming “improper impeachment.”
De Niro quipped from the stand, “Impeachment? Am I being impeached?”
When laughter burst out in the courtroom, including from jurors, the actor said, “Had to say it, sorry.’’
His lawyer’s objection was overruled.
The Hollywood A-lister is facing off against Robinson in a civil trial after accusing the once-trusted employee of raiding his Canal Productions company coffers, stealing millions of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles and binge-watching Neflix while on the job.
Their now-long-running legal battle first kicked off when the “Taxi Driver” actor’s production company sued her back in August 2019 — just months after Robison abruptly resigned after 11 years.
Robinson quickly fired back with her own $12 million suit, accusing the acting legend of subjecting her to sexual harassment and bullying while expecting her to work 24/7 and assume the role of his “office wife.”
One of her lawyers, Andrew Macurdy, who has painted Robinson as a dedicated, loyal employee, told jurors Tuesday that she first tried to quit in November 2018 but that De Niro had threatened to give her a bad reference.
“You’re saying I threatened her? I don’t do that. She worked for me, I treated her with respect,” De Niro fired back on the stand.
Asked if Robinson had been a disloyal employee, De Niro responded: “Disloyal? I don’t know. Whatever. I wanted to get her because she stole stuff from me and I wanted to get it back.
“The whole case is nonsense, it’s ridiculous,” he sniffed. “I wanted my things back, that’s all I’m asking. Return my things, return my air miles. Enough is enough.
“She had taken things from me and not done the right thing. I asked her to return them but she didn’t do the right thing. She asked me for a letter of recommendation, which under no circumstances would I ever, ever, ever sign,” he added.