Vin Diesel Accused Of Sexual Battery Against Former Assistant On Fast Five

Vin Diesel, star of the "Fast and Furious," "Chronicles of Riddick," and "XXX" franchises, has been accused of a number of crimes, including sexual battery, by a former assistant. In documents filed in Los Angeles and recently obtained by Vanity Fair, Asta Jonasson, a former production assistant at Diesel's company One Race, accused Diesel of sexual battery, discrimination on the bases of sex/gender, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fostering a hostile work environment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and obstruction of justice re: an attempted cover up. Plaintiffs named on the suit include not just Diesel but Samantha Vincent, Diesel's sister and the president of One Race, the company itself, and a number of anonymized employees of One Race.

The incident at the center of the suit allegedly took place on a late September night in 2010 at the St. Regis Hotel. Jonasson was made to wait until Diesel had finished "entertaining" hostesses he had brought to the hotel from a club. Once they left, he initiated unwanted advances that Jonasson repeatedly verbally refused to consent to, and attempted to evade. Hours later, Jonasson was fired via a phone call from the president of One Race and Diesel's sister, Samantha Vincent. Jonasson claims another superior at One Race initiated similarly inappropriate advances only days before this incident.

Jonasson has been bound to silence by a nondisclosure agreement since the alleged assault, and was only able to bring the suit after the passage of the Speak Out Act in 2022, which allows survivors of sexual violence to circumvent nondisclosure agreements and other gag orders in order to seek justice for crimes occurring in or after 2009.

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).