Vin Diesel is facing a sexual battery lawsuit.
The 56-year-old ‘Fast and the Furious’ actor’s former assistant Asta Jonasson has filed a claim against the star over an alleged incident she says took place at the St Regis hotel, Atlanta, in September 2010.
She claims in the complaint filed in Los Angeles on Thursday and originally obtained by Vanity Fair the action star invited her to his suite after coming back from a club with hostesses.
After the other women left, Diesel – born Mark Sinclair – allegedly grabbed Jonasson’s wrists and pulled her onto the bed.
She also claims she asked her former boss to stop but he then allegedly groped her chest and kissed her there “despite her pleas”.
The lawsuit adds: “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.
“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.”
Jonasson says at that point she ran away from Diesel and headed toward the bathroom, but he allegedly pinned her against a wall and placed her hand on his “erect” member as he touched himself.
The lawsuit added: “Terrified, Ms Jonasson closed her eyes, trying to dissociate from the sexual assault and avoid angering him.
“Ms Jonasson then heard groaning noises from Vin Diesel… Jonasson was frozen in a state of shock and unable to move.”
Jonasson was a Los Angeles film school programme graduate at the time of the alleged incident.
She had been hired to work for Diesel’s One Race firm while his ‘Fast Five’ film was being made.
Diesel’s sister Samantha Vincent allegedly handled the termination of Jonasson’s employment, which lasted only two weeks, and is also named as a defendant in the suit.
Jonasson’s suit says: “It was clear to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful – Vin Diesel had used her to fulfil his sexual desires and she had resisted his sexual assaults.”
Jonasson is also suing for discrimination based on the grounds of sex or gender, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress, hostile work environment, wrongful termination and retaliation.
The former assistant alleges in the complaint she suffered “and continues to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and mental and physical pain and anguish”.
She claims she did not speak up sooner due to signing a non-disclosure agreement.