‘RICH WITH INDULGENCE’

De Niro’s Lawyer Says His Wife’s ‘Thirst for Stella McCartney’ Will Make Him Work Till He’s Dead

His wife’s lawyers countered that De Niro is the profligate, chartering helicopters from New York City to brunch in Connecticut.

Robert De Niro’s lawyer said Friday that his estranged wife’s lavish spending habits and demands that are “rich with indulgence” will work the actor to death. During a divorce hearing, Caroline Krauss, De Niro’s attorney, said her client, age 77, is breaking his back trying to pay for Grace Hightower’s shopping: “When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower’s thirst for Stella McCartney?” In 2019, Krauss continued, Hightower purchased a $1.2 million diamond ring. In 2015, the federal government placed a $6.4 million tax lien on the actor. Hightower’s lawyer Kevin McDonough countered that De Niro himself is the profligate, pouring millions into multiple home renovations and extravagant travel. McDonough said, “When Mr. De Niro goes to brunch Sunday in Connecticut, he charters a helicopter up there.” The two filed for divorce in 2018, and since then, De Niro has cut her allowance from $375,000 per month to $100,000 as of January, according to McDonough. The two signed a prenuptial agreement in 2004, but they continue to battle over the terms of the split, most heatedly over alimony payments.