Vin Diesel Accused of Sexual Battery by Former Assistant

A former assistant to Vin Diesel has filed a lawsuit against the Fast & Furious star alleging that he sexually battered her in a hotel room back in 2010. The filing, according to Vanity Fair, claims that the incident happened in the fall of 2010 while she was working for him during the filming of Fast Five.

Asta Jonasson said in her suit that she was hired by Diesel's company, One Race, to work for him when Fast Five was shooting in Atlanta. At the time, she was a recent film school graduate, and her job included things like planning parties and accompanying Diesel to prevent photos being taken of him with other women at events where his longtime girlfriend wasn't in attendance. 

According to Jonasson's suit, once she and Diesel were alone in a hotel room, he "grabbed Ms. Jonasson’s wrists, one with each of his hands, and pulled her onto the bed." She pleaded with him to stop but was paralyzed by what was happening to her at the hands of her boss. 

"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 said. "But this hope died when Vin Diesel dropped to his knees, pushed Ms. Jonasson’s dress up toward her waist, and molested her body, running his hands over Ms. Jonasson’s upper legs, including her inner thighs."

After she initially escaped his grasp, Diesel allegedly pinned her against a wall and placed her hand on his genitals despite her refusal. He reportedly went on to masturbate while "terrified, Ms. Jonasson closed her eyes, trying to dissociate from the sexual assault and avoid angering him."

Just a few hours later, One Race president and Diesel's sister Samantha Vincent called Jonasson to let her know she'd been terminated after less than two weeks on the job. The intent, the suit says, was obvious. 

"It was clear to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful—Vin Diesel had used her to fulfill his sexual desires and she had resisted his sexual assaults,"  the suit said. "[Her] esteem was demolished, and she questioned her own skills and whether a successful career would require her to trade her body for advancement."

It wasn't the first instance of misbehavior Jonasson encountered while working for Diesel. Just a few days prior to her assault, Jonassan said a One Race supervisor called her to his hotel room and beckoned her toward the bed while shirtless, which she refused. 

Related: Vin Diesel: Behind the Scenes

Sexual battery is just one of the claims leveled in the lawsuit. Jonasson is also alleging sex/gender discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. She additionally accused Diesel and his production of trying to cover everything up, leading her to "suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and mental and physical pain and anguish."

Men's Journal has reached out to a representatives for Vin Diesel for comment.