Vin Diesel will no longer face sexual battery allegations made by a former assistant on Fast 5.
The Fast and Furious actor has consistently denied the claims made against him by ex-assistant Asta Jonasson, who alleged two years ago that the star “forced himself on her” at a hotel in Atlanta during production on the fifth film in the franchise in 2010.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Crowley had previously dismissed four of Jonasson’s 10 claims due to the statute of limitations, and he dismissed the remaining six this week due to lack of jurisdiction.
Following this most recent ruling, her attorney Matthew Hale told Deadline: “The Court did not decide anything about the truth of Ms. Asta Jonasson’s allegations.”
“The ruling was based on a legal technicality, with which we respectfully disagree. Ms. Jonasson intends to appeal,” he added.
In his 13-page ruling, the judge said: “It is undisputed that the alleged sexual assault took place in Atlanta, Georgia.”
He noted that as Jonasson’s claims are “based on an alleged violation of a California statute it 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.”
Vin Diesel’s lawyer Bryan Freedman denied the allegations in 2023, saying there were “clear evidence” to refute them.
Following Wednesday’s ruling, he said: “We are grateful that the court put an end to this meritless lawsuit.”
“We are pleased that this matter has been resolved entirely,” he concluded.
