SEXUAL MISCONDUCT LAWSUIT AGAINST JAMES FRANCO SETTLED

1 ALLEGATIONS

In 2019, actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal sued Academy Award-nominated actor James Franco, his business partners and production company for allegedly sexually exploiting women who attended their acting school, Studio 4. The school, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, opened in 2014 and shut down in 2017, roughly three months before the Los Angeles Times published a story in which five women accused Franco of inappropriate behaviour.

2 BEYOND THE `CASTING COUCH'

The lawsuit, obtained by the New York Times, alleged that Franco “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour toward female students by sexualizing their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects.” A plaintiff's attorney told The Washington Post at the time that “in essence, Franco took the `casting couch' to another level by creating a `casting class.'”

3 ALLEGED DISREGARD FOR INDUSTRY RULES

The 2018 Los Angeles Times piece chronicled multiple allegations against the actor and his acting classes, one of which included a $750 Sex Scenes master class. Former student actresses said nudity was often required and they were pressured into removing their clothes for performances, and that the school didn't follow industry rules and requirements for nude scenes.

4 FLURRY OF NEGATIVE TWEETS

Allegations against Franco reached a tipping point at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, when the actor (who won best actor that night for “The Disaster Artist”) wore a “Time's Up” pin on the red carpet to support a legal fund to fight sexual harassment and workplace inequality. Multiple actresses tweeted about negative experiences with Franco, who called the claims “false and inflammatory” and deemed the lawsuit “a travesty of justice.”

5 PRELIMINARY SETTLEMENT REACHED

Over the weekend, a lawyer for the plaintiffs confirmed that both sides had reached a preliminary settlement. The amount of money involved has not been revealed. Both parties plan to submit the settlement for preliminary court approval by March 15.