Vin Diesel denied the sexual assault allegations brought against him late last year by a woman who briefly worked as the actor’s assistant in 2010.
On Monday, March 25, Diesel’s lawyers answered the suit, saying the actor denied “generally and specifically, each and every allegation” leveled by the plaintiff, Asta Jonasson. Similar filings were made on behalf of the other defendants in the case, Diesel’s production company, One Race Productions, and the actor’s sister, Samantha Vincent, who’s a producer at the company.
Jonasson accused Diesel of sexually assaulting her in his Atlanta hotel room one week after she’d been hired to work for him. She says One Race then fired her the next day in retaliation for resisting Diesel’s advances.
The new filing puts forward numerous “affirmative defense” claims, which could help Diesel’s lawyers rebuff Jonasson’s allegations if the defense sufficiently proves them in court. Among the affirmative defenses listed: “consent,” suggesting Jonasson allegedly gave Diesel consent; “unclean hands,” suggesting Jonasson may have done something unethical in relation to the lawsuit, which would warrant its dismissal; and “legitimate business reason,” suggesting Diesel had “legitimate business reasons, which were not a pretext for retaliation, for taking certain employment actions, if any.”
In a statement, Jonasson’s lawyer, Claire-Lise Kutlay of Greenberg Gross LLP, told Rolling Stone: “This response is an example of the victim blaming rhetoric that can often arise when people speak out about sexual assault. We are proud to represent Ms. Jonasson and hold Vin Diesel and those who allowed and covered up his sexual assault accountable.”
A lawyer for Diesel did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
In the original lawsuit, which was filed last December, Jonasson said she was hired to work for Diesel on Sept. 2, 2010, and flew out to Atlanta, where Fast Five was being filmed, that same day. She claimed that one week later, on Sept. 10, Diesel groped her, forcibly kissed her, and masturbated in front of her in his hotel room. She claimed that One Race then fired her the next day in retaliation for resisting Diesel’s advances.
Jonasson brought the suit under California’s AB2777 law, which, like New York’s Adult Survivors Act, allows some sexual misconduct claims to be brought in civil court regardless of the statute of limitations. Jonasson also said she was compelled to bring the suit because of the #MeToo movement.
At the time the suit was filed, Diesel’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement saying the actor “categorically denies this claim in its entirety.” He added: “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.”
