On a Wednesday, a judge in Georgia dismissed a lawsuit that accused Vin Diesel of sexually assaulting his assistant, Asta Jonasson, in 2010, on the grounds that California law does not apply in Georgia. The allegations, which were first brought to light in the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2023, claimed that while Diesel was in Atlanta for the filming of "Fast Five," the fifth installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, he pinned her against a wall and masturbated in front of her.
According to the complaint, Jonasson had been brought to Diesel's hotel suite where he allegedly forced her onto the bed. She protested and tried to get away, but he pushed her against the wall, tried to pull down her underwear, and then forced her to touch his erect penis. Hours later, Jonasson alleges that Diesel's sister called her and fired her. She had worked for Diesel for just nine days.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Judge Daniel M. Crowley dismissed the remaining six claims due to lack of jurisdiction, stating that "the alleged sexual assault took place in Atlanta, Georgia," and that "California statutes are presumed not to have extraterritorial effect unless the Legislature expressly states otherwise in adopting the statute."
Despite this setback, Jonasson's lawyers plan to appeal the decision. "The Court did not decide anything about the truth of Ms. Jonasson's allegations," they said in a statement. "The ruling was based on a legal technicality, with which we respectfully disagree. Ms. Jonasson intends to appeal."
Diesel's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied the allegations when the case was first filed and said there was "clear evidence" that refutes them. "We are grateful that the court put an end to this meritless lawsuit," Freedman said Wednesday. "We are pleased that this matter has been resolved entirely."
