American actor Vin Diesel, star of Fast and Furiousis accused of sexual assault by a former assistant, according to a civil complaint filed Thursday before the California courts, which extended the statute of limitations for sexual crimes.
The facts denounced date back to 2010 and allegedly took place in a hotel room in Atlanta, in the southeast of the United States, during the filming of the fifth episode of the saga. Fast and Furious.
The plaintiff, Asta Jonasson, who had just been hired by the film crew, had been sent to help the actor leave the hotel in the early morning while avoiding the paparazzi. “While she was alone in the hotel suite with him, Vin Diesel sexually assaulted her, groping her breasts and kissing her. Ms. Jonasson struggled to free herself from his grip, while repeatedly telling him no,” the complaint states, indicating that the actor then tried to remove her underwear.
Fired the next day
According to the document, the complainant – who declined to remain anonymous – then fled into the bathroom, pursued by Vin Diesel, whose real name is Mark Sinclair Vincent. The actor then forced her to touch him, before pinning her against a wall and masturbating in front of her.
The complainant says she was fired by telephone the day after the incident by Samantha Vincent, the actor’s sister and director of the company that employed him.
Asta Jonasson, who says he found the courage to testify thanks to the #MeToo free speech movement, is suing the actor, his sister and their companies for damages, the amounts of which are not specified. The actor’s agents did not immediately respond to requests from AFP.