James Franco Accused Of Sexual Exploitation By Two Students

LOS ANGELES, CA — Actor James Franco and two business partners were accused Thursday of founding an acting school that sexually exploited its female students. A lawsuit filed by two former students alleged Franco defrauded, sexually harassed and discriminated against students.

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought by Sarah Tither- Kaplan and Toni Gaal. It seeks unspecified damages. A representative for Franco could not be immediately reached.

Franco, who has taught film classes at New York University, USC, UCLA and Playhouse West, operated an acting school called Studio 4, which has since closed. Tither-Kaplan and Gaal attended the school in hopes of getting work through the defendants' production companies, according to the lawsuit.

"While James Franco touted that one difference between Studio 4 and other acting schools was its ability to funnel promising talent into his projects, the reality was that he was looking to create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education," the suit states.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.