James Franco has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought against him by his former acting students.
The plaintiffs, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, accused Franco and his partners of "sexualizing their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects." According to the filing, $894,000 will go "to settle the Named Plaintiffs’ individual sexual exploitation claims" while the remaining $1.34 million is for a common fund to settle fraud claims.
Both parties agreed to the following statement as part of the settlement: “While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood. All agree on the need to make sure that no one in the entertainment industry – regardless of race, religion, disability, ethnicity, background, gender or sexual orientation – faces discrimination, harassment or prejudice of any kind.”
How the lawsuit will affect Franco's career long-term is unknown. Since winning a Golden Globe for 2017's "The Disaster Artist," Franco starred in the HBO series "The Deuce" (which concluded in 2019) and directed a few films, including the unreleased indie drama "The Long Home."
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