Actor Vin Diesel’s former assistant filed a complaint in Los Angeles Monday, claiming that in the autumn of 2010, when Fast & Furious was shooting, the Fast & Furious star sexually assaulted her.
When Vanity Fair reached out for comment, representatives for Diesel and his production firm did not get back right away.
Asta Jonasson, the plaintiff, claims in the Los Angeles-filed complaint acquired by Vanity Fair that she was employed by Diesel’s firm, One Race, to work for the actor on set in Atlanta, where Fast Five was being produced. According to the lawsuit, Jonasson was a recent graduate of the film school program, and part of his job duties included planning parties, going to parties with Diesel, and making sure she was close to him in case he was photographed with women when he attended events without his long-term girlfriend.
According to the lawsuit, Jonasson was requested to wait in Diesel’s room at the St. Regis hotel late one night in September 2010 as he entertained hostesses he had brought back from a nightclub. Diesel “grabbed Ms. Jonasson’s wrists, one with each of his hands, and pulled her onto the bed,” according to the complaint, after the other ladies had left. She begged him to stop, slipped out of his clutches, and waited for him to go out the front door of the apartment.
Rather, the lawsuit claims that he went back to Jonasson and, in spite of her entreaties to stop, started to fondle her breasts and kiss her chest. The lawsuit goes on to say, “Ms. Jonasson was afraid to more forcefully refuse her supervisor, knowing that getting him out of that room was crucial to both her personal safety and job security.” “However, this hope was dashed when Vin Diesel bent down, pushed Ms. Jonasson’s dress up to her waist, and touched every part of her body—including her inner thighs and upper legs.”
The lawsuit claims that after Diesel attempted to undress, Jonasson cried out and bolted down the hallway in the direction of the bathroom, whereupon Diesel pinned her against the wall and put her hand on his erected penis despite her verbal protests. As “terrified, Ms. Jonasson closed her eyes, trying to dissociate from the sexual assault and avoid angering him,” the lawsuit claims, he masturbated.
Less than two weeks into her job, the lawsuit claims that Samantha Vincent, the president of One Race and Diesel’s sister, called Jonasson hours later to fire her.
According to the lawsuit, Jonasson’s “self-esteem was demolished, and she questioned her own skills and whether a successful career would require her to trade her body for advancement,” and it was evident to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful because she had refused to submit to Vin Diesel’s sexual advances.
The complaint claims that this was not the only improper occurrence that happened while Jonasson was employed at Diesel. A few days before, according to Jonasson’s lawsuit, she was called to his own room at the St. Regis by another One Race boss while she was working. He undressed, climbed into bed, and said, “Come here.” The complaint claims that Jonasson left the room right away.
In addition to sexual battery, the case alleges sex/gender discrimination, intentional emotional distress infliction, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. In addition, it claims that Jonasson “has suffered and continues to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and mental and physical pain and anguish” and charges Diesel and his company of trying to cover it up.
The complaint claims that Jonasson remained silent during the following years because she signed a nondisclosure agreement when she accepted the One Race role. According to the lawsuit, she was able to bring the claims because of two laws: California’s AB2777, which temporarily waives the statute of limitations for allegations of sexual abuse that occurred in 2009 or later, and the Speak Out Act, which prohibits the enforcement of nondisclosure agreements in cases of sexual assault and harassment. The lawsuit also claims that she was motivated to “reclaim her agency and justice for the suffering she endured at the hands of Vin Diesel and One Race” by the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.
Jonasson went on to work in the entertainment sector in a variety of capacities, including production coordinator and assistant.
Diesel, who was born Mark Sinclair, is best known for his performances as Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious trilogy and the voice of Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
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