Vin Diesel has successfully had four employment discrimination claims dismissed in a lawsuit filed by his former assistant, Asta Jonasson, on Tuesday. However, the actor still faces serious allegations of sexual battery and wrongful termination.
Jonasson, who filed the lawsuit in 2023, accused Diesel of sexually assaulting her in 2010, claiming that he pinned her against a hotel room wall and masturbated in front of her. Though the alleged incident occurred in 2010, which typically falls outside the statute of limitations, California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023, revived certain expired sexual assault claims dating back to 2009.
However, in order to file a lawsuit under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), plaintiffs are required to first file an administrative complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD). Judge Daniel M. Crowley ruled on Tuesday that the extended statute of limitations under the new law did not apply to the administrative filing requirement, which at the time of the alleged incident, was one year. As a result, Jonasson’s four FEHA-related claims were dismissed due to failure to meet the filing deadline.
“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,” Judge Crowley stated.
Despite the dismissal of these claims, Jonasson’s lawsuit still includes allegations of sexual battery, wrongful termination, retaliation, negligent supervision, retention, and infliction of emotional distress. These claims are not subject to the same filing requirements and were not affected by the judge’s decision.
Vin Diesel’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, strongly denied the allegations when they were first made. “There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations,” Freedman stated at the time.
The case is ongoing, with Diesel facing scrutiny over the remaining allegations.
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