James Franco to pay $2.2m in sexual misconduct case
US actor James Franco has agreed to pay $2.2m to settle a legal case in which the actor was accused of sexual misconduct.
Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal both attended Franco’s Studio 4 acting school in Los Angeles in October 2019. They allege Franco engaged in “sexually charged behaviour towards female students”.
Franco’s lawyers had previously described the claims as “false and inflammatory”.
They filed a class action lawsuit alleging he abused his position and dangled acting opportunities in his films.
They say they were also victims of fraud for paying for the acting school while being sexually objectified and intimidated.
In February it was reported that Franco and the women had reached a settlement but the details were kept quiet until today.
Court filings linked to the case state that the proposed settlement is now going to be put in front of a judge, who will either approve or reject it.
If approved, Ms Tither-Kaplan will receive $670,500 with $223,500 being deducted for lawyers’ fees.
Ms Gaal will receive $223,500 with $74,500 deducted for lawyer fees.
The remaining $.1341m will be divided among other students that were involved in the case, minus more legal fees.
The deal also applies to Franco’s production company and his two business partners, Vince Jolivette and Jay Davis.
James Franco’s acting school has now closed down.
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