A former assistant accuses actor Vin Diesel of sexually assaulting her in an Atlanta hotel in 2010, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Asta Jonasson filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Diesel and one of his production companies, One Race Productions Inc. It also names One Race Films Inc. and Diesel’s sister, who is the president of One Race, according to the lawsuit.
The suit alleges violations including a hostile work environment, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, wrongful termination and sexual battery.
Diesel’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement Thursday that Diesel “categorically denies this claim in its entirety.”
“This is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13 year old claim made by a purportedly 9 day employee,” Freedman said. “There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.”
One Race Films did not immediately respond to a request for comment left by voicemail and on Facebook, as well as a request for comment from Diesel’s sister sent through Facebook.
The lawsuit describes Jonasson as a dedicated TV and film professional who had worked in the film industry for a decade when she was One Race hired her in September 2010 to work directly for Diesel.
During her job interview, Jonasson was led to believe she would be assisting with film production of the fifth installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, “Fast Five,” which was shooting in Atlanta, the suit says.
Her job duties, however, included organizing parties and staying close to Diesel while he was at parties and without his longtime girlfriend, with whom he has children, according to the lawsuit.
“As he explained, it would provide him with cover if he was photographed with another woman,” it says.
On Sept. 10, 2010, at a club in Atlanta, Jonasson joined Diesel, who was drinking throughout the night, the suit says. At the club, Diesel was with two security personnel and surrounded by hostesses who wore lingerie-inspired outfits, the suit says.
Jonasson did not drink because she was on duty, it says.
Later, Diesel went to his suite in the hotel and was joined by four or five hostesses, Jonasson and a security guard, the suit says.
The security guard left the suite, and Diesel took a hostess to the master bedroom while others waited in the living room before they eventually left, the lawsuit says.
Jonasson said, according to the lawsuit, that she got a call from Diesel’s security, who said he had to leave the hotel but was not answering his phone.
Tasked with ushering Diesel out of the hotel, Jonasson went into the main bedroom in the suite and found Diesel clothed and sideways on the bed, with his cellphone on the dresser, says the lawsuit, which says she told Diesel that his security was calling and that it was time to leave the hotel.
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Jonasson picked up Diesel’s phone and motioned for him to take it, but he instead grabbed Jonasson’s wrists and pulled her onto the bed, according to the suit.
“Vin Diesel entrapped Ms. Jonasson in a bear hug as she immediately tried to escape his grasp and get off the bed. Ms. Jonasson tried to de-escalate the situation, telling Vin Diesel to stop while continuing to attempt to wrest free of Vin Diesel’s grasp,” the suit says.
Jonasson managed to leave the room and stood by the door of the suite, the suit says.
When Diesel appeared, Jonasson reached for the door so he would leave, but he told her, “Don’t open that door,” the suit states.
Diesel then forcibly hugged Jonasson for an extended period, groped her breasts and forcibly kissed her while she pleaded with him to stop, the suit says.
“Ms. Jonasson was afraid to more forcibly refuse her supervisor, knowing that getting him out of that room was both crucial to her personal safety and job security,” the suit says.
Diesel then knelt, pushed Jonasson’s dress up and “molested her body,” the suit says.
When Diesel tried to pull Jonasson’s underwear down, she screamed and ran down the hallway, knocking him down as she did so, the suit says. He got up and pinned her against a wall, according to the lawsuit, which alleges he made her grab his penis and started to masturbate.
Claire-Lise Y. Kutlay, an attorney for Jonasson, said in a statement: “What happened to Ms. Jonasson is alarming and disgusting. The film industry has allowed decades of sexual harassment and sexual assaults by powerful people to go unchecked. It is our hope that this lawsuit promotes change in the industry, and prevents future bad behavior from occurring.”
According to the suit, Jonasson was required to sign a nondisclosure agreement preventing her from discussing anything about Diesel. The lawsuit says Jonasson was empowered by the Me Too movement to speak up and is protected by the Speak Out Act, which protects victims of sexual assault even if they have signed NDAs.
Hours later, Diesel’s sister fired Jonasson, the suit says.
The physical attack was not the only time Jonasson was sexualized while she worked for Diesel, the suit says.
A few days before the alleged assault, another supervisor at One Race summoned her to a bedroom at the Atlanta hotel, took his shirt off and asked her to join him on the bed, the lawsuit says.
“Appalled, Ms. Jonasson immediately exited the room and the hotel,” it says.
Jonasson is seeking a jury trial and damages.
