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Vin Diesel has been accused of sexually assaulting a female employee during the filming of Fast and Furious 5 in 2010.
The alleged victim, Asta Jonasson, was hired by Diesel’s production company to serve as his assistant on set.
Jonasson says that the actor forcibly grabbed and groped her following a gathering at his suite in Atlanta’s St. Regis Hotel.
Jonasson claims the situation escalated when she fought back against Diesel’s attack.
She alleges that Diesel responded by pinning her against a wall and forcibly undressing her.
Jonasson claims that the action star then removed his pants and forced her to touch his genitals.
The plaintiff says that as Diesel leaned against her and began to masturbate, she kept her eyes closed to “dissociate” in an effort to get through the ordeal.
“We are proud to represent Ms. Jonasson and hold accountable Vin Diesel and those who allowed and covered up his sexual assault,” reads a statement issued on Thursday by Jonasson’s legal team.
“The law exists to protect those who have been wronged, no matter how powerful or famous the defendant is,” the statement continues.
“Sexual harassment in the workplace will never stop if powerful men are protected from accountability.”
Diesel’s lawyers have countered with a statement of their own in which they claim that accuse Jonasson of completely fabricating the incident described in her suit.
“Let me be very clear, Vin Diesel categorically denies this claim in its entirety,” attorney Bryan Freedman told TMZ.
“This is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13-year-old claim made by a purportedly 9-day employee. There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.”
Jonasson says that on the morning after the attack, she received a call from Diesel’s sister informing her that she had been fired.
She explains that she was afraid to speak out earlier because of Diesel’s wealth and power, and because of her immigration status.
Jonasson was living in the US as a green card holder at the time of the incident.
Jonasson says she felt empowered to come forward both by the #MeToo movement and by California’s Speak Out law, which allows victims to file sexual assault claims for alleged incidents dating back to 2009.
The incident has prompted a reexamination of the actor’s past behavior, including a notorious incident in which Diesel acted inappropriately toward a female journalist in 2016.
Diesel has yet to publicly respond the the allegations, except through his lawyers.
We will further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
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