In a complaint brought by a former assistant, Vin Diesel, the star of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, is accused of sexual battery and creating a hostile work environment.
The legal lawsuit, which CNN was able to receive, was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court and concerns an alleged 2010 incident in which Asta Jonasson, Diesel’s former secretary, claims the carnal artist forced himself on her in an Atlanta hotel suite and engaged in public masturbation.
According to the complaint, Diesel “pinned her against the wall with his body” after Jonasson “screamed and ran towards the nearby bathroom,” despite her “clear statements of non-consent.”
The lawyer representing Vin Diesel, Bryan Freedman, sent a statement to CNN later on Friday that read, “Vin Diesel categorically denies this claim in its entirety.” “This is the first time he has ever heard of this claim, which was made by a supposedly 9-day employee, more than 13 years ago.”
In addition to suing Diesel for creating a hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and sexual battery, Jonasson is also suing Diesel’s sister Samantha Vincent and his company One Race Productions.
After the alleged assault, Samantha Vincent, who was president of Diesel’s firm One Race at the time, allegedly phoned Jonasson “mere hours” and “terminated Ms. Jonasson’s employment,” according to Jonasson.
According to the lawsuit, she is requesting that a civil penalty of $10,000 be applied to each infraction, in addition to undefined punitive penalties.
The lawyer for Jonasson, Claire-Lise Kutlay of Greenberg Gross LLP, stated in a statement provided to CNN that “no one is too powerful or famous to evade justice.” “We hope that her brave choice to come forward will empower other survivors and bring about long-lasting change.”
Diesel has made appearances in over 60 films and television shows. He is also one of the producers of the hugely successful “Fast & Furious” film franchise worldwide. He is working on a number of new projects, such as “Fast X: Part 2.
