American actor Vin Diesel has been accused of sexual assault by his former personal assistant in a new lawsuit.
Asta Jonasson claims in the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Thursday that the ‘Fast and Furious’ actor sexually assaulted her in the fall of 2010 during the filming of “Fast Five” in Atlanta.
According to her, the actor pinned her to a wall as he performed a sex act on himself. She is further suing for wrongful termination, claiming his company fired her hours after the alleged attack.
Ms. Jonasson’s lawsuit stated that Vin Diesel, 56, physically overpowered her in his hotel suite and “ignored her clear statements of non-consent” as he groped her.
The lawsuit alleges that after she “screamed and ran towards the nearby bathroom”, the film star “pinned her against the wall with his body” and performed a sex act on himself.
“Mere hours” after the incident, she was contacted by the actor’s sister Samantha Vincent – who runs his production company One Race Films – and was fired.
She is also suing the actor’s sister and his production company.
“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,” the suit alleges.
It adds: “Ms Jonasson felt helpless, her self esteem was demolished, and she questioned her own skills and whether a successful career would require her to trade her body for advancement.”
A lawyer for the actor, real name Mark Sinclair, said his client “denies this claim in its entirety”.
“This is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13 year old claim made by a purportedly 9 day employee.”
A lawyer for Ms Jonasson said in a statement to BBC News that her client “seeks to hold Vin Diesel and those who allowed and covered up his sexual assault accountable for their egregious actions”.
“We hope her courageous decision to come forward helps create lasting change and empowers other survivors,” said lawyer Claire-Lise Kutlay.
In addition to the Fast & Furious franchise, Vin Diesel is known for films including Guardians of the Galaxy, XXX and Riddick.
Source: BBC