It appears James Franco is being sued over sexual misconduct that allegedly occurred at his Studio 4 acting school. According to the New York Times, former students Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal have filed a lawsuit against Franco and his business partner Vince Jolivette, accusing the men of sexually exploiting students in their former acting class.
The students of the school, which shut down in 2017, say Franco and his partners "engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior towards female students by sexualizing their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects."
The women say they joined the Los Angeles branch of Studio 4 in 2014, and paid approximately $300 in monthly tuition. The plaintiffs claim the school also offered additional classes, including a $750 master class specifically for sex scenes. According to the lawsuit, students who were interested in the sex scene class were required to submit an audition for Franco to review; students were also required to forfeit their rights to the footage.
Gaal claims she auditioned for the class, but was denied entry after she expressed uneasiness. Tither-Kaplan said she ultimately took the master class, which led to several roles in Franco's independent films.