James Franco and his partners have agreed to pay $2.24 million to end a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by his former students.
Court documents obtained by NBC News detailed the settlement. Franco's two former students, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, filed the class action in 2019.
The girls used to attend the actor's Studio 4 school that operated between 2014 and 2017. They alleged the "127 Hours" actor and his partners forced them, along with others, to film "overt sexual acts."
The lawsuit claimed the respondents sought to "sexualize their power and fame" to take advantage of the aspiring actors. They were allegedly asked to perform "nudity, sex" and, just as how Franco puts it, "pushing the boundaries" in exchange for employment.
Vulture said Franco had a sex-scenes class where the female students were "encouraged to take risks with their bodies." They were described as "naked sex scenes" with "nudity requirements."
They had to "self-tape at home" to get continuous film. One of the women added Franco intimidated them to perform unnecessary sex scenes but denied them nudity riders' protection.
The suit called Studio 4 acting school "fraudulent."
The lawsuit was filed June 24 but made public June 30. The complainants' legal counsel proposed the more than $2.2 million settlement to a Los Angeles judge.
The proposed resolution includes the "language that would release claims by all parties, while Franco and others continue to deny the claims."
However, it also states the respondents acknowledge the issues the complainants raise. Despite the allegations, they see the importance of tackling this problem to address the abuse of women in Hollywood.
Both parties agree on the need for the fight against "discrimination, harassment or prejudice of any kind" in the entertainment industry, regardless of "sex, race, religion, disability, ethnicity, background, gender or sexual orientation."
About $1 million of the settlement will go to the named complainants and the rest to a "common fund" to settle claims other members of the class action may pursue.
