On Thursday, a former assistant of actor Vin Diesel filed a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual battery that occurred in 2010, leading to her termination just hours later. In the lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles court, Asta Jonasson claims that Diesel assaulted her in an Atlanta hotel room while they were working on the movie 'Fast Five.'
Legal and public relations representatives for Diesel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Jonasson's lawyer, Claire-Lise Kutlay, stated, "Sexual harassment in the workplace will never cease if powerful individuals are shielded from accountability. We hope her courageous decision to come forward helps create lasting change and empowers other survivors."
According to the lawsuit, Jonasson alleges that Diesel forcibly groped and kissed her after a night of entertaining multiple women in his hotel suite. "Vin Diesel ignored Ms. Jonasson's clear statements of non-consent to his sexual assaults," the lawsuit reads. It describes how Diesel subjected Jonasson to sexual harassment in the hotel, releasing her only after the incident, before leaving the hotel room. A few hours later, the lawsuit alleges, Jonasson was fired from her position as Diesel's assistant.
The lawsuit reveals that Jonasson remained silent for years, "afraid to speak out against one of the world's highest-grossing actors, fearing she would be ostracised from the industry." Jonasson is one of many women accusing prominent figures in the entertainment industry of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement began in 2017, following accusations against now-imprisoned movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
(With PTI inputs)