actor Vin Diesel targeted by sexual assault complaint

A former assistant of the actor accuses him of having sexually assaulted her during the filming of the fifth episode of “Fast and Furious”, in 2010.

American actor Vin Diesel is accused of sexual assault by a former assistant, according to a civil complaint filed before the California courts on Thursday, December 22. The facts in question date back to 2010 and allegedly took place in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia, during the filming of the fifth episode of the saga Fast and Furious. The plaintiff, Asta Jonasson, had just been hired by the film crew.

She had been sent to the actor’s hotel in the early morning, to help him leave the hotel while avoiding the paparazzi. “While she was alone in the suite with him, Vin Diesel sexually assaulted her, [touchant] her breasts and kissing her. Mrs. Jonasson struggled to free herself from his grip, all the while telling him no.”specifies the complaint, which adds that the actor then tried to take off her underwear.

Vin Diesel “categorically denies” the facts

In the document, the complainant (who has refused to remain anonymous) claims to have then taken refuge in the bathroom, pursued by Vin Diesel, whose real name is Mark Sinclair Vincent. She accuses the actor of then forcing her to touch him, before pinning her against a wall and masturbating in front of her. Asta Jonasson says she was fired by telephone the day after the incident by Samantha Vincent, the actor’s sister and director of the company that employed him.

“Vin Diesel categorically denies these allegations in their entirety”declared the actor’s lawyer in a press release cited by the specialized magazine Variety. “This is the first time he has heard of these accusations [sur des faits] which date back 13 years, worn by a person who would have worked only nine days” for him, added his counsel.

In addition to the accusations of sexual assault, the complaint relates in particular to acts of discrimination based on gender, hostile work environment and unfair dismissal, specifies the magazine Vanity Fair, first to reveal the affair. Asta Jonasson, who says he found the courage to testify thanks to the #MeToo movement, is suing the actor, his sister and their companies for damages, the amounts of which are not specified. The recent extension by the Californian justice system of the statute of limitations for sexual crimes allowed him to file this complaint.