Judge Dismisses Four Claims in Assistant's Sexual Lawsuit against Vin Diesel, Some Remain
Yara Sameh
Vin Diesel got a court to throw out four employment discrimination claims against him on Tuesday, but still faces allegations of sexual battery and wrongful termination brought by a former assistant.
The assistant, Asta Jonasson, sued Diesel in 2023, alleging that he had accused the actor of groping her, forcibly kissing her, and faping in front of her in his hotel room in Atlanta in 2010.
She claimed the alleged assault took place just over a week after Diesel and his production company, One Race Productions, hired her while filming Fast Five. Jonasson also claimed the production company fired her the next day in retaliation for resisting Diesel's advances.
Diesel's lawyers previously stated that the actor denied 'generally and specifically, each and every allegation' leveled by Jonasson.
Per the suit, Jonasson cited California's AB2777, which, like New York's Adult Survivors Act, allows some sexual misconduct claims to be filed in civil court regardless of whether the statute of limitations had passed.
In addition to claims of sexual battery, wrongful termination, claims of retaliation, negligent supervision and retention, and infliction of emotional distress, Jonasson also sued Diesel for four claims under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
However, plaintiffs must first file an administrative complaint with the state Civil Rights Department (CRD) before they can file a lawsuit under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). This gives the CRD time to evaluate the allegations and decide whether to accept the case for investigation.
Diesel's attorneys argued that Jonasson's administrative complaint, required under FEHA, was submitted after the one-year deadline, and claimed California's extension of the statute of limitations for sexual assault lawsuits does not apply to administrative filings.
Judge Daniel M. Crowley agreed with Diesel's lawyers and dismissed the four FEHA claims. '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, a jurisdictional requirement for a FEHA lawsuit,' Crowley wrote in Tuesday's ruling.
Following the dismissal, Diesel's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said, 'It is unfortunate that a person who worked for the company for less than two weeks 15 years ago in another state is allowed to use the California court system to assert such baseless claims.' He added, 'Next, we will present irrefutable evidence that the remaining fictitious allegations alleged herein did not occur and finally end what remains of this maliciously filed lawsuit.'
Matthew T. Hale, an attorney for Jonasson, commented, 'While we respectfully disagree with the court's decision on this limited legal issue, the Court made no factual findings that impact the remaining causes of action in this case. We will continue to advocate vigorously on behalf of our client, who remains committed to seeking justice.'
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See - Sada Elbalad
2 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Judge Dismisses Four Claims in Assistant's Sexual Lawsuit against Vin Diesel, Some Remain
Yara Sameh Vin Diesel got a court to throw out four employment discrimination claims against him on Tuesday, but still faces allegations of sexual battery and wrongful termination brought by a former assistant. The assistant, Asta Jonasson, sued Diesel in 2023, alleging that he had accused the actor of groping her, forcibly kissing her, and faping in front of her in his hotel room in Atlanta in 2010. She claimed the alleged assault took place just over a week after Diesel and his production company, One Race Productions, hired her while filming Fast Five. Jonasson also claimed the production company fired her the next day in retaliation for resisting Diesel's advances. Diesel's lawyers previously stated that the actor denied 'generally and specifically, each and every allegation' leveled by Jonasson. Per the suit, Jonasson cited California's AB2777, which, like New York's Adult Survivors Act, allows some sexual misconduct claims to be filed in civil court regardless of whether the statute of limitations had passed. In addition to claims of sexual battery, wrongful termination, claims of retaliation, negligent supervision and retention, and infliction of emotional distress, Jonasson also sued Diesel for four claims under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). However, plaintiffs must first file an administrative complaint with the state Civil Rights Department (CRD) before they can file a lawsuit under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). This gives the CRD time to evaluate the allegations and decide whether to accept the case for investigation. Diesel's attorneys argued that Jonasson's administrative complaint, required under FEHA, was submitted after the one-year deadline, and claimed California's extension of the statute of limitations for sexual assault lawsuits does not apply to administrative filings. Judge Daniel M. Crowley agreed with Diesel's lawyers and dismissed the four FEHA claims. '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, a jurisdictional requirement for a FEHA lawsuit,' Crowley wrote in Tuesday's ruling. Following the dismissal, Diesel's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said, 'It is unfortunate that a person who worked for the company for less than two weeks 15 years ago in another state is allowed to use the California court system to assert such baseless claims.' He added, 'Next, we will present irrefutable evidence that the remaining fictitious allegations alleged herein did not occur and finally end what remains of this maliciously filed lawsuit.' Matthew T. Hale, an attorney for Jonasson, commented, 'While we respectfully disagree with the court's decision on this limited legal issue, the Court made no factual findings that impact the remaining causes of action in this case. We will continue to advocate vigorously on behalf of our client, who remains committed to seeking justice.' read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan
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Justin Baldoni Sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400 Million
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In response, Baldoni first sued the New York Times — which first reported Lively's CRD complaint — alleging that the paper had worked with Lively's team, taking the text messages out of context in order to defame him. At the time, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, promised that more lawsuits would follow. 'This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media,' Freedman said in a statement on Thursday. 'It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret.' The latest lawsuit reiterates many of the points made in the New York Times suit, arguing that the full record shows that Lively's suit offered a skewed version of events. 'Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth,' Freedman continued. 'Ms. Lively will never again be allowed to continue to exploit actual victims of real harassment solely for her personal reputation gain at the expense of those without power. Let's not forget, Ms. Lively and her team attempted to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before even taking any actual legal action. We know the truth, and now the public does too. Justin and his team have nothing to hide, documents do not lie.' Freedman has also promised to sue Stephanie Jones, Baldoni's former publicist, who turned over the explosive text messages to Lively's team, in response to a subpoena. The new lawsuit does not name Jones as a defendant, but does take a number of swipes at her, saying that Wayfarer Studios — the company that produced the film — cut ties with Jones due to her 'bizarre' behavior and 'rage-filled rants.' The suit alleges that Jones took revenge on Wayfarer and Baldoni by working with Lively's camp to make it appear that Baldoni and his publicists had engaged in a smear campaign. Freedman is still expected to file another lawsuit against Jones. The suit also alleges that after the film's premiere, Lively and Reynolds worked through their agency, WME, to try to get Baldoni and his allies to publicly apologize for unspecified 'mistakes' during production. At the time, rumors were swirling of a rift between the two co-stars. Such a statement would have required Baldoni and Heath to take the blame for the rift, and thus 'fall on their sword, despite having done nothing wrong,' the lawsuit states. According to the suit, they were warned that if they did not issue the statement, 'the gloves would come off.' Baldoni and Heath feared that such a confession would be career-ending, and they refused to do it, the suit states. 'They took a stand, knowing full well that Lively and Reynolds would bring the full might of their celebrity artillery against them,' the lawsuit states. 'And that is precisely what happened.' Baldoni also accuses Lively of gradually asserting control over the film during production, including by rewriting the 'rooftop' scene in which their characters first meet. Baldoni was somewhat cool to Lively's version. According to the suit, Lively summoned him to her penthouse in New York, where Reynolds and a 'megacelebrity friend' — who appears to be Taylor Swift — both praised Lively's version. In a later text message quoted in the complaint, Baldoni praised Lively's contribution, and said he 'would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor.' According to the complaint, Baldoni feared that he was being pressured by two of the world's biggest celebrities — whom Lively called her 'dragons' — into acceding to her wishes. The suit also makes reference to the ongoing fires in Los Angeles, alleging that Lively arranged to serve the L.A.-based defendants in her case while they were monitoring evacuation orders and packing up 'go-bags' in case they had to flee their homes. Lively's legal team said in a response Thursday afternoon that Baldoni is seeking to shift the narrative away from his own misconduct by attacking Lively for asserting herself. 'This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook,' they said. 'This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.' They continued: 'Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public's ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.' Lively's team also said that the claim she hijacked the film is false, and that she got involved in the editing process at Sony's request. 'The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer,' they said. 'The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony's cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success.' Lively's team also took issue with Baldoni's response to the harassment allegations and his characterization of their conflicts over her wardrobe. 'Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it's her fault,' they said. 'Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's complaint, and it will fail.'
Mid East Info
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ENOC Link internationally recognised for technology and sustainability innovation at the Global Brand Awards 2024
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