A woman who sued the Walt Disney Co. and ABC Studios — alleging she was fired in retaliation for issuing an internal complaint about unequal pay on the basis of her gender and race — is objecting to a defense motion to obtain a psychological examination done of her in another case involving Vin Diesel.
Asta Jonasson’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges she was underpaid in her job as a development executive because she’s Asian and female. On Monday, her attorneys filed court papers with Judge Upinder S. Kalra in advance of a March 2 hearing seeking to quash a defense subpoena seeking production of the independent medical examination done of her in the Diesel case, in which she alleged sexual assault by the 58-year-old “Fast & Furious” actor. The lawsuit was dismissed by a judge on jurisdictional grounds in November because the alleged attack occurred in Georgia.
“Plaintiff already sat for four separate days of deposition in this case and has testified at length about her emotional distress and alternative stressors,” Jonasson’s attorneys state in their court papers.
Jonasson has cooperated with Disney/ABC attorneys by undergoing a full psychological exam in the current litigation at their request in October, the plaintiff’s lawyers further state in their court papers.
In seeking their own mental health profile of Jonasson, the Disney/ABC attorneys stated in their court papers that it was needed because the plaintiff is seeking emotional distress damages. In their previous court papers, the lawyers deny their clients employed Jonasson or that the companies subjected the plaintiff to any disparate treatment.
Jonasson was hired in 2011. On multiple occasions, Jonasson complained to director/screenwriter John Ridley about what she believed was the hypocrisy of his public positions on civil rights, and his private failure to pay Jonasson, like him a person of color, commensurate with her skill, effort and responsibility, the suit states.
Jonasson also complained to ABC about the alleged disparate treatment in pay between men and women, but ABC did nothing, according to the suit filed in April 2024.
In February 2016, Jonasson complained to Ridley that his producing partner had twice called her an obscene name and she demanded that the behavior stop, but all Ridley did was ask the plaintiff if the partner was joking, the suit states.
Jonasson complained to Ridley again in 2022, this time in writing, about the alleged unfair pay and noted that she had not received a raise since 2014 despite taking on more responsibilities. However, 90 days after Jonasson complained, she was terminated, according to the suit.