James Franco has been hit with another allegation of sexual harassment by two of his former acting students from Studio 4. This is the second time the actor is being accused of misconduct since denying them as not accurate in early 2018 on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal filed the lawsuit on Thursday against Franco and his business partner Vince Jolivette, accusing the two men of sexual exploitation during the students' time at the now-defunct film school.
According to the New York Times, Tither-Kaplan and Gaal stated that Franco and his partner "engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students by sexualizing their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects."
The woman added that they joined Studio 4 in 2014 and paid approx $300 as monthly tuition fees. But it didn't end there as they were also offered extra classes at the school which included a $750 master class for sex scenes. The two students also stated that they signed an agreement to be taped during the sessions as well.
The NYT report went on to add:
"In these roles, Ms. Tither-Kaplan said, she was often asked to appear in nude scenes or sex scenes. During the making of an orgy scene for one of his films, Mr. Franco removed plastic guards that covered other actresses' vaginas while he simulated oral sex on them, according to the lawsuit."
Gaal also said that after she took the classes, it led to her receiving several gigs in Franco's independent films. "In these roles, Ms. Tither-Kaplan said, she was often asked to appear in nude scenes or sex scenes. During the making of an orgy scene for one of his films, Mr. Franco removed plastic guards that covered other actresses' vaginas while he simulated oral sex on them, according to the lawsuit."
The two women are demanding monetary damages and the destruction or return any video recordings of former students that were at Studio 4. In addition, Tither-Kaplan and Gaal have also asked for "class-action status" so other women with similar histories as the two can join the lawsuit as well.
