Fast and Furious American actor, Vin Diesel is facing allegations of sexual battery in a new lawsuit filed by a former assistant. The lawsuit, filed on December 21, 2023, in Los Angeles, asserts that the incident occurred in a St. Regis hotel suite in 2010 while the assistant was working for the Fast and Furious star during the filming of Fast Five.
According to the plaintiff, Asta Jonasson, who was contracted by Diesel’s company, One Race, detailed in the suit that she had recently graduated from a Los Angeles film school program and was assisting the actor in organizing parties, accompanying him to events, and being in close physical proximity during public appearances. “The suit alleges that late one night in September 2010, Jonasson was asked to wait in Diesel’s suite at the St. Regis hotel while he entertained hostesses he had brought back from a club. Once the other women were gone, the lawsuit claims, Diesel ‘grabbed Ms. Jonasson’s wrists, one with each of his hands, and pulled her onto the bed.’ She asked him to stop, escaped his grasp, and waited by the front door of the suite for him to leave,” Vanity Fair reported. The complainant in the lawsuit alleged that the actor once approached her, engaging in unwanted touching of her breasts and kissing her chest, disregarding her pleas for him to cease. “Ms. Jonasson was afraid to more forcibly refuse her supervisor, knowing that getting him out of that room was both crucial to her personal safety and job security,” the suit continues. “But this hope died when Vin Diesel dropped to his knees, pushed Ms. Jonasson’s dress up toward her waist, and molested her body, running his hands over Ms. Jonasson’s upper legs, including her inner thighs.” “Diesel moved to pull down her underwear, Jonasson screamed and ran down the hallway toward the bathroom, where Diesel pinned her to the wall, placing her hand on his erect pennis, even as she verbally refused. He masturbated while ‘terrified, Ms. Jonasson closed her eyes, trying to dissociate from the sexual assault and avoid angering him.’” The lawsuit goes on to claim that Samantha Vincent, Diesel’s sister and the president of One Race, terminated Jonasson’s employment after a tenure of less than two weeks. The suit also accused the actor of “discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, intentional infliction of emotional distress, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.” It further accuses Diesel and One Race of, “An attempted cover-up” adding that Jonasson “has suffered and continues to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and mental and physical pain and anguish.” The lawsuit mentioned that Jonasson had signed a nondisclosure agreement before accepting the position at One Race, preventing her from speaking publicly about the incident. However, the Speak Out Act, which prohibits the enforcement of nondisclosure agreements in cases of sexual assault and harassment in the US, along with California’s AB2777, temporarily waiving statutes of limitations for sexual abuse allegations from 2009 onward, now enables her to share her experience. As of now, Diesel has not issued a public response to the lawsuit.
This was disclosed by the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Friday, February 25, 2023. “I just want to say that we will ensure that result declaration will be done speedily. I can’t put a finger on the number of days or number of hours it will take but it will be done speedily. “We are aware of the anxiety and the need for us to conclude the process quickly. It will be concluded quickly,” Mahmood said. The INEC Chairman commented on how the current cash crunch in the country would impact the elections, noting that not all of the commission’s operations were funded with cash from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He mentioned that a significant portion of procurement for goods and services was conducted electronically. “But we need a small amount of money to pay for the unbanked who render critical services, particularly at the local level. “We anticipated this challenge and interacted with the Central Bank; they promised us that the little amount we need to pay for services in cash, they will make the funds available to us and they have done so. “And these funds have already been accessed by our state offices for elections, which is why the movement of personnel and materials in the last couple of days has gone on unhindered. “So, I must give credit for our relationship with the Central Bank in that regard. The process won’t suffer any encumbrance as a result,” the INEC boss added. 
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