A former assistant to actor Vin Diesel filed a lawsuit against him on Thursday, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 2010 and claiming that she was fired just hours after being hired. In the lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court, the former assistant, Asta Jonasson, stated that Diesel assaulted her in a hotel room in Atlanta while they were preparing for the film "Fast Five." Representatives for Diesel have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Claire Liz Kottlay, Jonasson's attorney, said in a written statement, "Sexual harassment in the workplace will never stop if powerful men are protected from accountability." She added, "We hope that her brave decision to move forward with the lawsuit will help create lasting change and empower other survivors." Jonasson claims in the lawsuit that Diesel touched her breasts without her consent and kissed her. The lawsuit states, "Vin Diesel ignored Ms. Jonasson's clear verbal indications of her lack of consent to his sexual assaults."
The lawsuit also notes that Jonasson was terminated from her job as Diesel's assistant shortly after the assault. It mentions that Jonasson remained silent for years "out of fear of speaking out against one of the highest-paid actors in the world and fear of being ostracized from the industry."
