Judge dismisses multiple claims in Vin Diesel sex abuse lawsuit from ex-assistant
Judge dismisses multiple claims in Vin Diesel sex abuse lawsuit from ex-assistant
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Over a year after Vin Diesel was sued by a former assistant, who accused him of wrongful termination and sexual assault, the judge in the case is dismissing some of its most potent claims.
In a tentative ruling on June 3, Judge Daniel M. Crowley agreed to dismiss four different claims of harassment made by Diesel's former employee Asta Jonasson.
Jonasson, who originally sued the actor in December 2023, has alleged he sexually assaulted her in the fall of 2010 during the filming of "Fast Five," the fifth installment of his brand-making "Fast and Furious" franchise. She was then unceremoniously fired, she alleges, a claim that lies at the center of the parts of the lawsuit Crowley opted to dismiss.
USA TODAY has reached out to lawyers for both Diesel and Jonasson for comment.
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A technical rather than substantive error, Crowley ruled that because Jonasson levied her claims under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, she would have been required to file a complaint with the state's Civil Rights Division within a certain time frame.
She would have had to file the complaint within a year of the incident, a deadline which came and went in 2011, Crowley wrote, calling it an "incurable procedural defect" that required he dismiss Jonasson's claims of a hostile work environment, discrimination, retaliation and a failure to prevent harassment on the part of Diesel and his company.
While this week's ruling notches a small win for the action star, he will continue to face Jonasson's six other allegations, which include accusations of sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Vin Diesel to stay with 'Fast and Furious' franchise after sexual assault lawsuit
What is Vin Diesel accused of?
According to the original lawsuit, Jonasson was hired by Diesel's production company, One Race (also named in the suit), to work for him in various capacities, including accompanying the actor to parties and ensuring she was nearby in photos if the actor attended events without his longtime girlfriend.
After a late night in September 2010, Jonasson's lawyers allege she was asked to wait for Diesel in his suite at the St. Regis hotel while he entertained hostesses from a club. When the women left, Diesel grabbed Jonasson's wrists and pulled her onto the bed, according to the lawsuit.
She escaped and asked Diesel to leave, but he allegedly began to grope her breasts, kiss her chest and run his hands along her waist and upper legs, including her inner thighs.
Jonasson was afraid to "forcibly refuse her superior" for her personal safety and job security, but after Diesel moved to pull down her underwear, Jonasson screamed and ran down a hallway.
According to the lawsuit, Diesel pinned her to the wall and placed her hand on his genitals and then masturbated, while "terrified, Ms. Jonasson closed her eyes, trying to dissociate from the sexual assault and avoid angering him," according to the suit.
Hours later, Diesel's sister and president of One Race, Samantha Vincent, called Jonasson to fire her after fewer than two weeks on the job, the suit says.
Though Jonasson signed a nondisclosure agreement when she accepted the position, she was able to file the claims because of the Speak Out Act, which prevents the enforcement of nondisclosure agreements in instances of sexual assault and assault and harassment, and California's AB2777, which temporarily waives statutes of limitations for sexual abuse allegations occurring in 2009 or later.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
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