James Franco has agreed to pay over $2 million to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by several of his former students.
In a court filing obtained by NBC News on Wednesday (June 30th), the plaintiffs' legal teams proposed terms of the $2.2 million settlement to a Los Angeles judge, who still has to be approve the deal.
In 2019, the actor was sued in a class-action lawsuit brought by former students at the now-defunct school, Studio 4. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal accused Franco of performing explicit sex scenes on camera in “orgy type settings.” They added that Franco "sought to create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education," implying that roles in Franco films would be forthcoming.
The proposed settlement includes language that would release claims by all parties, while Franco and the other defendants continue to deny the allegations. The payment will be split between the named plaintiffs and a “common fund” that might be pursued by other members of the class action.