A more than 13-year-old claim by former assistant has come back to Vin Diesel in form of a lawsuit alleging that the actor of sexual battery. The incident happened when Fast Five was in production and Asta Jonasson, the plaintiff, was hired by Diesel’s company One Race to work in Atlanta.
According to the lawsuit, Jonasson was a recent film-school-program graduate, whose job description was to organize parties, accompany the Fast & Furious star to parties and be in close physical proximity to him for photographs when he attended events.
Samantha Vincent, Vin Diesel’s sister who was the president of One Race, terminated Jonasson after less than two weeks on the job.
What Happened Between Vin Diesel and the Assistant?
The assistant, as per the lawsuit, was asked to wait in Diesel’s suite at the St. Regis hotel, late one night in September 2010, where he was entertaining hostesses he had brought back from the club. When the women were gone, the actor allegedly grabbed Jonasson’s wrists and pulled her onto the bed.
She claims that Diesel groped her and kissed her, she tried to break free but he continued to force himself on her. Jonasson said Diesel lifted her dress and tried to pull down her underwear, pinning her against the wall, and placed her hand on his penis. She claims that he masturbated leaning against her. The lawsuit states that the assistant closed her eyes to dissociate herself and get through the ordeal.
And hours later, she was terminated from her job by Samantha Vincent. Jonasson believes she was fired for resisting Vin Diesel. The lawsuit highlights that this was a first such incident for the victim. Another supervisor at One Race had tried to get her, but she had immediately left.
Why File Lawsuit Now?
The former assistant says she was quiet for so many years and was inspired by the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement. Jonasson said she filed the claims thanks to Speak Out Act. The lawsuit states that she was inspired to reclaim her agency and justice for the suffering she went through at the hands of such the XXX actor and his company One Race. Jonasson is also suing Samantha Vincent for wrongful termination, sexual battery and hostile work environment.
However, Bryan Freedman, Vin Diesel’s attorney, brushed off the lawsuit saying his client denies the incident happened. He said that this is the first time Vin Diesel has heard about this by a purportedly 9-day employee. “There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.”
