Popular American actor, Vin Diesel, has been dragged to court by a former assistant over claims of sexual battery which allegedly occurred in 2010.
In filings obtained by Variety, the plaintiff Asta Jonasson stated that the traumatic incident occurred while she worked for Diesel on the set of “Fast Five” in Atlanta.
According to Jonasson, Diesel invited her into his suit at the Regis Hotel and forced her into his bed. When she tried to escape, Jonasson claimed the movie star forced her back into the room, pinned her to the wall, and began to grope her even when she continually screamed for him to stop.
The assault allegedly continued when Diesel forced her to touch his privates. Seeing that she is unable to escape him, Jonasson said she “closed her eyes, scared of angering Vin Diesel by rejecting him”, tried to dissociate, and wished the assault would end.
Aside from sexual battery, Jonasson is also suing for unlawful termination because she had allegedly been fired by Diesel’s company, hours after the incident.
The filing read in part, “It was clear to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful — Vin Diesel had used her to fulfil his sexual desires and she had resisted his sexual assaults.
“Ms. Jonasson felt like she was a piece of trash to be discarded. Ms. Jonasson felt helpless, her self-esteem was demolished, and she questioned her skills and whether a successful career would require her to trade her body for advancement.”
The suit was filed in California under the state’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act. Enacted in 2022, the legislation provides a one-year window for sexual assault survivors to file suits even when such cases have exceeded the statute of limitations.
A similar law in New York saw several celebrities and politicians being sued for sexual assault. This includes former President of the United States, Donald Trump; rapper and entertainment mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs and actor, Jamie Foxx.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
