James Franco Sued For Sexual Exploitation

Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal have filed a lawsuit against James Franco. The ladies are accusing him of sexually exploiting them while they were enrolled at his now-defunct acting school.

According to the paperwork filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Franco and his business partner, Vince Jolivette opened acting schools in both Los Angeles and New York City in 2014. The guys used it as a front for them and their friends to take advantage of young female performers.

The women say that Franco asserted his influence as an instructor at Playhouse West Studio 4 by offering them parts in movies – some featuring him – that never materialized or were never released. Their actions “led to an environment of harassment and sexual exploitation both in and out of the class.”

The ladies said they each paid a $3-hundred dollar enrollment fee and additional fees for “master classes,” including one on sex scenes. They were initially told to appear topless before the requests escalated into performing sex scenes, “orgies” and “gratuitous full nudity for no other reason than the Defendants could make them do it.”

Franco’s lawyer is throwing cold water on the suit. “This is not the first time that these claims have been made and they have already been debunked,” Michael Plonsker explains. “We have not had an opportunity to review the ill-informed Complaint in-depth since it was leaked to the press before it was filed and our client has yet to even be served. James will not only fully defend himself, but will also seek damages from the plaintiffs and their attorneys for filing this scurrilous publicity-seeking lawsuit.”

Source: The Wrap

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