The writer behind Robert De Niro classics “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver” is being sued by his former assistant for sexual harassment and assault.Paul Schrader has been accused by the unnamed 26-year-old of grabbing and kissing her while they were at the Cannes Film Festival last year.A lawsuit filed in New York last week says after she escaped his clutches, the woman — given the pseudonym Jane Doe in the suit — was summoned to his hotel room three days later where Schrader exposed himself.”Since Defendant Schrader’s brutal attack on Ms. Doe, exposure of his genitals to her, and his countless other acts of sexual harassment, she has suffered, inter alia, nightmares, extreme anxiety, and trauma, and has withdrawn almost completely from her former life,” the suit says.The legal filing claims Schrader, 78, fired his assistant in September.”Two days later, in full acknowledgment of his unlawful and predatory behavior, he wrote in an email to her…’If I have become a Harvey Weinstein in your mind then of course you have no choice but to put me in the rear view mirror,'” the lawsuit says.Weinstein, 73, was the Hollywood power player whose decades-long sexual predation sparked the “Me Too” movement, leading to convictions that are under appeal. The former Miramax co-founder is serving a 16-year prison sentence in California after rape convictions in New York were overturned in 2024.Jane Doe’s suit says Schrader initially agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement over the allegations, but later backed out.The motion seeks to enforce the terms of the agreement and demands reimbursement for legal fees and costs.Schrader’s lawyer, Philip Kessler, told AFP on Monday that they would contest the lawsuit.He said Schrader had not signed an agreement, which meant it was null and void.”He reflected on paying as much money as the agreement required him to pay, had he signed it, and he reached the conclusion that it was not in his interest to do that,” Kessler said.Kessler said the underlying harassment allegations “are seriously inaccurate, very misleading and fundamentally untrue.””He kissed her twice in almost three and a half years and… it was only at the time of the second kiss that she indicated displeasure, and he never attempted to kiss her again,” Kessler added.”He will also say that he never attempted to have sex with her, and he will also say that he never exposed himself to her.”Schrader was in Cannes to promote his film “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi.AFP has reached out to Cannes organizers for comment.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned Monday that US President Donald Trump’s tariffs will likely lift inflation, describing himself as “very cautious” in light of the rising recession risk.”Whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth,” Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders.Dimon, an influential figure in markets as the longest serving CEO of a major Wall Street firm, said the US economy had been steady “for years” but was “already weakening” even before Trump’s watershed tariff announcement last Wednesday.”There are many uncertainties surrounding the new tariff policy: the potential retaliatory actions, including on services, by other countries, the effect on confidence, the impact on investments and capital flows, the effect on corporate profits and the possible effect on the US dollar,” Dimon wrote.”In the short run, I see this as one large additional straw on the camel’s back,” said Dimon, adding “my most serious concern is how this will affect America’s long-term economic alliances.”JPMorgan analysts published a note Friday expecting US GDP to contract this year “under the weight of the tariffs.” They also recently raised their risk of global recession to 60 percent.Separately, Goldman Sachs said Sunday that if most of Trump’s April 9 tariffs take effect, these charges — alongside likely sectoral duties — could tip their forecast to a recession.US and global equities have been in free fall since Trump announced sweeping tariffs last week in a move the president touted as “Liberation Day” from international trade rules he argues have harmed the country.Dimon described Trump’s tariffs as one of several factors that could boost inflation, along with continued high fiscal deficits, “the remilitarization of the world” and major investments supporting infrastructure and the green economy.”While inflation has come down, most of what I see in the future is inflationary,” said Dimon, who backs the need for reducing the US deficit.”These large deficits are not sustainable –- I do not know whether it will cause a real problem in six months or six years –- the sooner we deal with it, the better,” Dimon said.