James Franco Agrees to Over $2 Million Settlement in Sexual Misconduct Suit

In 2019, Franco was sued in a class action lawsuit by two former students

Published June 30, 2021 • Updated on June 30, 2021 at 11:58 pm

FILE - This Sept. 5, 2019 file photo shows James Franco at the premiere of HBO's "The Deuce" third and final season in New York. A settlement deal has been reached in a lawsuit that alleged James Franco intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into exploitative sexual situations. A filing in Los Angeles Superior Court said a settlement had been reached in the class-action suit brought by former students at the now-defunct Studio 4. The document was filed on Feb. 11, but has not previously been reported. — Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File

Actor James Franco has agreed to pay over $2 million to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by several of his former students, according to court documents seen by NBC News.

In 2019, Franco was sued in a class action lawsuit by two former students who attended Franco's Studio 4 acting school, which he ran from 2014 to 2017.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal had alleged in their class action suit that they and others were coerced into filming overt sexual acts by Franco and his partners.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.