A lawsuit that accused Vin Diesel of sexually assaulting his assistant in 2010 has been dismissed.
Asta Jonasson filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2023, claiming the alleged incident occurred while Diesel was in Atlanta filming Fast Five, and that hours later his sister called to fire her after she had worked for Diesel for nine days, according to Variety.
In the complaint reviewed by the magazine, Jonasson alleges that Diesel brought her to his hotel suite and forced her onto the bed. Despite trying to get away, Jonasson claims he pushed her against a wall, tried to pull down her underwear, and forced her to touch his erect penis.
Judge Daniel M. Crowley had previously dismissed four of Jonasson's ten claims due to the statute of limitations, and on Wednesday (Nov. 19) he dismissed the remaining six for lack of jurisdiction, ruling that California law does not apply in Georgia.
He wrote, "It is undisputed that the alleged sexual assault took place in Atlanta, Ga.," and added that the claim "fails as a matter of law because California statutes are presumed not to have extraterritorial effect unless the Legislature expressly states otherwise in adopting the statute."
Jonasson's lawyers noted that the case was revived under the 2022 Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, but the judge ruled the law does not apply outside California.
"The Court did not decide anything about the truth of Ms. Jonasson's allegations. The ruling was based on a legal technicality, with which we respectfully disagree. Ms. Jonasson intends to appeal,” read a statement from Jonasson’s lawyers.
Diesel's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said that there is "clear evidence" refuting the allegations, saying, "We are grateful that the court put an end to this meritless lawsuit. We are pleased that this matter has been resolved entirely."
