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In
the lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles court, the former assistant
Asta Jonasson alleges that Diesel assaulted her in an Atlanta
hotel room while the pair were working on the movie "Fast Five."
Legal and public relations representatives for Diesel did not
immediately reply to requests for comment.
"Sexual harassment in the workplace will never stop if powerful
men are protected from accountability," Jonasson's lawyer
Claire-Lise Kutlay said in a written statement. "We hope her
courageous decision to come forward helps create lasting change
and empowers other survivors."
In her lawsuit, Jonasson alleges that Diesel forcibly groped her
breasts and kissed her after he had spent a night entertaining
multiple women in his hotel suite.
"Vin Diesel ignored Ms. Jonasson's clear statements of
non-consent to his sexual assaults," the lawsuit reads.
At that point, the lawsuit alleges Diesel forced Jonasson to
grab his erect penis, she yelled for him to stop, then he pinned
her against a wall and masturbated, only letting her free when
he was done. He then left the hotel room.
A few hours later, the lawsuit alleges, Jonasson was fired from
her job as assistant to Diesel.
The lawsuit said Jonasson remained silent for years "afraid to
speak out against one of the world's highest-grossing actors,
afraid she would be ostracized from the industry."
Jonasson is one of many women to accuse prominent entertainment
industry figures of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement
began in 2017, in the aftermath of accusations against
now-imprisoned movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by Mary
Milliken and Michael Perry)
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