Summary
- Vin Diesel is facing a sexual battery lawsuit filed by his former assistant, Asta Jonasson, who alleges assault and wrongful termination.
- Jonasson claims she was hired to organize parties for Diesel and act as a cover for him, but he assaulted her in a hotel room.
- Old footage of Diesel during an interview has resurfaced, showing him acting inappropriately towards the female interviewer, further damaging his reputation.
Vin Diesel’s past behavior is further being called into question after disturbing footage of the actor harassing an interviewer has resurfaced just as the news broke that he’s being sued by a former assistant for sexual battery.
According to NBC News, the lawsuit was filed on Thursday by Asta Jonasson in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It names both Diesel as well as his production company, One Race Productions Inc. Moreover, the case also names Diesel’s sister as a defendant as well as One Race Films Inc. (which she is currently the president of).
Diesel’s Ex-Assistant Claims He Assaulted Her In A Hotel Room
Jonasson claims that Diesel assaulted her at an Atlanta hotel in 2010. She’s suing for “hostile work environment, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, wrongful termination and sexual battery,” NBC reports.
Jonasson says she was hired as an assistant to Diesel after many years of working in the entertainment industry, though her tasks were vast. She was in charge of organizing parties as well as staying by Diesel’s side during such events to act as a “cover” if he was photographed with other women while his partner wasn’t present.
However, after a night of drinking at a club with Diesel’s entourage, Jonasson says she found herself alone in his room where he proceeded to assault her.
“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,” her lawsuit alleges.
Jonasson claims she was fired only hours after the assault took place. She says she signed an NDA, which prevented her from speaking up about the assault until now. She hopes to have a jury trial and secure financial compensation for damages.
Diesel has already responded to the allegations via his attorney, Bryan Freedman. In a statement, the lawyer not only denied everything, but claimed Jonasson only worked for the actor a mere few days.
"This is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13 year old claim made by a purportedly 9 day employee," Freedman said, adding Diesel "categorically denies this claim in its entirety."
"There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations,” the lawyer added.
Old Footage Shows Diesel Being Creepy During An Interview
Once the news of the lawsuit broke, Diesel became a trending topic on social media. Online sleuths soon found old footage of the actor during an interview that’s making people uncomfortable, especially in light of the recent allegations.
The interview, which occurred in 2017 as Diesel was promoting his film XXX: The Return of Zander Cage, showed the actor constantly complimenting the female interviewer, interfering with her ability to ask questions.
“God you're so beautiful, you're so beautiful man, am I right or wrong?" Diesel says at one point, before asking her to lunch.
“She's so beautiful. Let's get out of here, let's go have lunch. My god I love her. Look how beautiful she is, god I love her wow,” he added.
At one point, Diesel got on his hands and knees and crawled towards the interviewer in what appeared to be an attempt at romantic fashion. However, critics online are now calling the resurfaced footage “creepy” and “weird,” as Geo TV notes, which doesn’t look good for Diesel in light of the new sexual assault lawsuit against him.
