Last week, Vin Diesel filed his formal response to the sexual battery allegation against him, denying all wrongdoing. The 56-year-old actor was sued by one of his former assistants, Asta Jonasson back in December, and he has denied it from the start. Now, Diesel is asking the court to dismiss this case and to order Jonasson to cover all of Diesel's legal fees.
Jonasson worked with Diesel in 2010 on a film set in Atlanta, Georgia. She claimed that at the time, Diesel forcibly pulled her onto a bed with him, groped her against her will, then touched himself while she was in the room as well. Diesel's lawyer, Bryan Freedman issued a denial on his behalf at the time, but now his official response for the court has been obtained by reporters from PEOPLE. It says that Diesel "denies, generally and specifically, each and every allegation of Plaintiff's Complaint and further denies that Plaintiff is entitled to any relief whatsoever as against Defendant and that Plaintif has been damaged as alleged, or in any other sum or sums, or at all."
Jonasson's lawsuit accused Diesel of sexual battery, discrimination on the basis of sex and/or gender, intentional infliction of emotional distress, hostile work environment, wrongful termination and retaliation. She claimed that Diesel's production company, One Race Films, hired her as an assistant for the production of Fast Five. However, she claims that she was fired within hours of Diesel's assault, and believes that she was terminated for denying his advances.
Diesel's team used Jonasson's short tenure at the company as an argument in his defense. Back in December, Freedman said: "Let me be very clear: Vin Diesel categorically 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 nine-day employee. There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations."
Jonasson was able to file her lawsuit thanks to the Speak Out Act and California's AB2777. The former prevents the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual assault or harassment, while the latter is a temporary law waiving the statute of limitations on sexual abuse allegations in the wake of a flood of big stories over the last few years. The court has not announced a decision on whether to throw out Diesel and Jonasson's case.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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