JAMES FRANCO’S $3 MILLION SETTLEMENT
Actor and director James Franco has agreed to pay a settlement of $3 million to former students after they sued him for sexual misconduct. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal claimed they were sexually exploited by the movie star, 43, at his acting and film school, Studio 4, which has since closed.
The pair said the star “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students by sexualising their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects”, according to court documents obtained by WHO’s sister publication People magazine.
Franco continues to deny the claims but “acknowledges now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood”, he said in a statement released by his lawyer.