LOS ANGELES – Preliminary agreement has been reached in a lawsuit accusing James Franco of intimidating students into a film and acting school he founded to obtain free sexual situations that took advantage of the students, lawyers for the applicants.
The two parties forwarded a joint status document to the Los Angeles Superior Court indicating to a judge that an agreement had been reached on the class action lawsuit filed by alumni at the now-closed school, Studio 4, despite that some aspects of demand could be maintained.
The document was presented on February 11, although it had not been reported before the pact.
Actresses and alumni Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, who began the process in 2019, have agreed to drop their private charges, according to the document. His lawsuit alleged that Franco pressured his students to perform increasingly explicit sex scenes in front of the camera in an “orgy-type context” that went far beyond what is acceptable in Hollywood filming.
He claimed that Franco “tried to create a source of young women subjected to their sexual and professional exploitation in the name of education” and that students were led to believe that there would be roles available in Franco’s films to accept them. its terms.
The lawsuit indicated that the incidents had occurred in a master class on sex scenes taught by Franco at Studio 4, which opened in 2014 and closed in 2017.
The two sides negotiated an agreement for months, and the judicial process was paused while the dialogue continued.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys, of the firm Valli Kane & Vagnini, LLP, confirmed to AP in a statement last night that an agreement had been reached.
Emails sent out of office hours to defense attorneys received no response at first.
In a previous court document, Franco’s lawyers praised the #MeToo movement that helped inspire the lawsuit, though they labeled their allegations as “false and sensationalist, with no legal basis and filed as a class action lawsuit.” with the obvious aim of hoarding all possible publicity for applicants seeking attention. ” They noted that Tither-Kaplan had in the past expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with Franco.
Allegations of sexual exploitation of other plaintiffs in the process will be dismissed without prejudice, implying that they may re-appear outside the class action, the joint report said.
The document did not disclose how much money he could have included in the deal.
In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after the lawsuit was filed in 2018, Franco said the allegations against him were inaccurate, though he added, “If I did something wrong, I’ll fix it. I have to do it. -ho “.
Franco, 42, best known for starring in comedies with Seth Rogen, has maintained a generally discreet profile since the allegations arose in what was a very productive period for the actor, which culminated in the award-winning The Disaster Artist.