Actor Vin Diesel, the icon of the hit Fast and Furious series, was sued by his former assistant for sexually assaulting her in 2010, while filming Fast Five (Fast and Furious 5).
On December 21, the Los Angeles court received a lawsuit from Asta Jonasson, Vin Diesel ‘s former assistant in September 2010.
She was hired by Vin Diesel’s company, One Race, to organize parties, accompany Vin Diesel to events, and manage the actor’s image with the press.
According to Vanity Fair , Ms. Jonasson accused Vin Diesel of forcing her to have sex with him at the St. Regis Hotel (Atlanta, USA) after filming Fast Five, despite her repeated refusal.
However, in a document sent to the Los Angeles court, Asta Jonasson said Vin Diesel had sexually assaulted her by touching her private parts, pressing her against the wall and masturbating in front of her even though Asta Jonasson tried to scream and run away.
Vin Diesel denies all allegations
The complaint states: “Miss Jonasson could not escape and closed her eyes, afraid that she would anger Vin Diesel if she continued to resist, she just wanted the assault to end soon.”
Hours after the assault, Vin Diesel’s sister (who is also the president of One Race) called Jonasson and fired her after just nine days on the job.
“Jonasson realized that she was fired because she had outlived her usefulness – Vin Diesel wanted to use her to satisfy his sexual desires and she was fired for daring to refuse” – excerpt from the lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles court.
In addition to sexual assault, she also accused Vin Diesel and One Race Company of gender discrimination , unhealthy working environment, unjustified firing, and attempts to cover up the actor’s actions.
Of course, Vin Diesel immediately denied this allegation.
On the same afternoon, Bryan Freedman, Vin Diesel’s lawyer, stated: “Vin Diesel denies all allegations. This is also the first time my client has heard about the allegations from 13 years ago from an employee who only worked for him for 9 days.”
According to Asta Jonasson, anti-sexual harassment and violence movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up inspired her to denounce Vin Diesel and One Race after a long period of silence.