When was Vin Diesel sued by his former assistant? Judge clears the actor of 4 discrimination charges in s*xual battery lawsuit

Vin Diesel has been cleared of all four employment discrimination claims amid his ongoing legal woes, though he still faces allegations of s*xual battery and wrongful termination against a former assistant.

Variety has reported that the development, which unraveled on Tuesday, stems from a case brought forth by Asta Jonasson. She sued Vin Diesel in 2023, accusing him of pinning her against a hotel wall and touching himself inappropriately. She listed the date as sometime in 2010, which, according to the outlet, would ordinarily fall outside the scope of the statute of limitations.

However, back in 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the S*xual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allowed for certain expired claims of s*xual assault dating back to 2009 to be tried again. However, to file a lawsuit under this act, the plaintiff would have to first file an administrative complaint with the state Civil Rights Department.

Vin Diesel's legal woes explored as his lawyers celebrate his first win

AV Club has reported that Vin Diesel's production company hired Jonasson back in 2010, and she is claiming in her suit that the actor's sister fired her just hours after the incident took place, because “she was no longer useful” to Diesel and “resisted his s*xual ass**lts.” She cited a preemptive NDA for not coming forward before, which the Speak Out Act circumvents in such cases.

Jonasson's claims are not covered under the S*xual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act. It allowed the presiding judge, Judge Daniel M. Crowley, to dismiss the claims under FEHA, as they were barred by the statute of limitations. Jonasson had until 2010 to file the administrative complaint, which she failed to do:

"Plaintiff’s FEHA claims are time-barred because she failed to timely exhaust her administrative remedies by filing a CRD complaint within one year of the alleged adverse action, a jurisdictional requirement for a FEHA lawsuit," the judge wrote, according to Variety.

The four claims related to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) that were thrown out include:

"Discrimination in violation of FEHA; hostile work environment in violation of FEHA; retaliation in violation of FEHA; failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation in violation of FEHA."

Vin Diesel still faces charges relating to retaliation, wrongful termination, s*xual battery, negligent supervision and retention, and infliction of emotional distress. He has categorically maintained his innocence, as his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in 2023:

"There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations."

Following the hearing on Tuesday, Vin Diesel's lawyer stated to People Magazine:

"It is unfortunate that a person who worked for the company for less than two weeks 15 years ago in another state is allowed to use the California court system to assert such baseless claims." Bryan went on, "The court today granted our client's motion in full dismissing half of this frivolous case."

He further told the outlet:

"We will present irrefutable evidence that the remaining fictitious allegations alleged herein did not occur and finally end what remains of this maliciously filed lawsuit."

Jonasson’s lawyer, Matthew T. Hale, told People Magazine:

"While we respectfully disagree with the court’s decision on this limited legal issue, the court made no factual findings that impact the remaining causes of action in this case." He added, "We will continue to advocate vigorously on behalf of our client, who remains committed to seeking justice."

Trending

Bryan Freedman is also representing It Ends With Us star Justin Baldoni in his ongoing legal battle against Blake Lively.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback