Vin Diesel on March 10, 2020.Photo:Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic
Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic
Vin Dieselhas filed his formal response to his ex-assistant’s sexual battery lawsuit, asking the court to dismiss the case.
In December, Asta Jonasson, a former assistant to theFast and Furiousactor,filed a complaint in Los Angeles, alleging that Diesel, now 56, forcibly pulled her onto a bed, groped her breasts and legs and masturbated at a hotel in Atlanta back in 2010.
Diesel’s legal team responded in a filing this week, asking that the case be thrown out and that Jonasson pay his legal fees in the matter.
Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Diesel, said in a statement in December after news of the lawsuit, “Let me be very clear:Vin Diesel categorically denies this claim in its entirety.”
Vin Diesel.Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty
Jonasson’s complaint, in addition to sexual battery, claims discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, intentional infliction of emotional distress, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
Jonasson was able to file the claims due to theSpeak Out Act, which prevents the enforcement of nondisclosure agreements in sexual assault and harassment cases, and California’sAB2777, which temporarily waives statutes of limitations for sexual abuse allegations that occurred in 2009 or later.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
