2023-12-21 21:47:00
(CNN) — “Fast & Furious” franchise actor Vin Diesel was accused of sexual assault and creating a hostile work environment in a lawsuit filed by his former assistant Asta Jonasson.
The civil lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by CNN, recounts an incident in 2010 in which, according to Jonasson, Diesel forced her into a hotel suite and masturbated in front of her.
The complaint claims Diesel ignored Jonasson’s “clear statements of non-consent” and following she “screamed and ran into a nearby bathroom,” he “pinned her once morest the wall with his body.”
CNN has reached out to Diesel’s representatives for comment.
Jonasson sued Diesel, his company One Race Productions and the actor’s sister, Samantha Vincent, for sexual assault, creating a hostile work environment, negligent supervision and wrongful termination, among other accusations.
The plaintiff claims that Samantha Vincent, president of Diesel’s One Race company at the time, called her “a hobby” following the alleged assault and “terminated Ms. Jonasson’s employment.”
Jonasson seeks a civil fine of $10,000 for each violation, plus unspecified punitive damages, according to the lawsuit.
“No one is too famous or powerful to evade justice,” Claire-Lise Kutlay of Greenberg Gross LLP, Jonasson’s attorney, wrote in a statement shared with CNN. “We hope your brave decision to speak out will help create lasting change and empower other survivors.”
Diesel has participated in more than 60 film and television productions. He is also among the producers of the global hit film franchise “Fast & Furious.” He has several projects in the works, including “Fast X: Part 2.”
CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.
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