Judge Dismisses Vin Diesel Sexual Battery Suit on Jurisdiction Grounds

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has tossed the remaining claims in a civil suit accusing Vin Diesel of sexual battery, ending the case in California unless an appeal succeeds. The plaintiff, Asta Jonasson, sued the actor and his company in December 2023 over an encounter she says happened in September 2010 while she was working as his assistant during production of Fast Five in Atlanta.

Jonasson alleges that Diesel groped her, pinned her against a wall, forced kisses on her, and masturbated in front of her in his St. Regis hotel suite. She also says she was fired within hours, framing the termination as retaliation and a cover-up by One Race Productions and its president, Samantha Vincent. Diesel has denied all accusations since the suit was filed, calling them false through his lawyer.

Judge Daniel M. Crowley ruled on November 19 that California statutes cited in the complaint cannot be used for conduct that took place in Georgia. Crowley had already removed four employment-related counts earlier this year on limitations grounds. On Wednesday he dismissed the six remaining counts, including sexual battery, wrongful termination, negligent supervision, and emotional distress, saying state law does not reach out-of-state acts unless lawmakers clearly say so.

The lawsuit leaned on California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, a 2022 measure that reopened a filing window for many adult sexual assault claims dating back to 2009. Legal analyses of the act stress that it expands timing rules for some cases, yet still leaves questions of forum and territorial reach to standard jurisdiction law, which can bar suits when alleged conduct happened elsewhere. Crowley’s order reflects that limit rather than any finding about what did or did not occur.

Jonasson’s attorney said the court did not evaluate the truth of her account and plans to challenge the ruling. Diesel’s side welcomed the dismissal, saying the case should never have gone forward. No new criminal proceedings are involved, and any renewed civil fight would likely shift to appellate review or a court in Georgia.

Tags: Vin Diesel