Fast And Furious Star Vin Diesel Sued Over Disturbing Sexual Battery Allegations

Movies

Content warning: sexual assault

News broke on Thursday, December 21 that “The Fast and the Furious” franchise star Vin Diesel is being sued over alleged sexual impropriety. Rolling Stone revealed this shocking information based on the filed lawsuit.

The woman leveling the charges against Diesel, Asta Jonasson, alleges that the action star “groped her, forcibly kissed her, and masturbated in front of her” in 2010 while she was working on “Fast Five” as his assistant. Unfortunately, it gets worse; Jonasson’s lawsuit claims that Diesel committed this sexual battery shortly after hiring her for “Fast Five” and that she was let go the following day because she didn’t succumb to Diesel’s advances. Samantha Vincent — Diesel’s sister who works alongside the actor at his company, One Race Productions — is also named in the lawsuit, with Jonasson claiming that she facilitated Diesel’s behavior.

“For years, Ms. Jonasson remained silent, afraid to speak out against one of the world’s highest-grossing actors, afraid she would be ostracized from the industry which had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual harassment and assault,” the lawsuit reads.

Details of the lawsuit against Vin Diesel

The lawsuit against Vin Diesel details his alleged assault of Asta Jonasson. According to the claim, Diesel was cavorting with hostesses working at the Havana Club in Atlanta and returned to his hotel room at the city’s St. Regis. After the women departed, Jonasson had to speak to the actor alone in his hotel room. When she tried to get Diesel to answer one of many phone calls placed by hotel security, she alleges that he grabbed her wrists and essentially wrestled her onto the bed. Jonasson claims that she was able to get away from that situation because Diesel was extremely intoxicated, but he continued to follow her throughout the hotel suite. “Vin Diesel was her supervisor, was physically larger and stronger than Ms. Jonasson, and Ms. Jonasson was afraid for her personal safety and job security if she were to anger him,” the lawsuit reads.

“Vin Diesel proceeded to grope Ms. Jonasson’s body, including her breasts, and forcibly kissed Ms. Jonasson, who continually pleaded with him to stop,” according to the suit. “Vin Diesel ignored her pleas and started to kiss Ms. Jonasson’s chest and collarbone.” After more extremely inappropriate alleged behavior, Diesel exited the suite. The next day, Jonasson says she received a phone call from Samantha Vincent and was fired from her position as Diesel’s assistant.

“The message was clear,” the suit reads. “Ms. Jonasson was fired for courageously resisting Vin Diesel’s sexual assault, Vin Diesel would be protected, and his sexual assault covered up.”

As of this writing, Diesel’s representatives have not provided a comment to Rolling Stone.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).