Hollywood star James Franco has agreed to pay $2,235,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by students of an acting class who claimed they were allegedly pushed into performing explicit sex scenes on camera.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, two former students in Franco’s acting class, led the lawsuit in October 2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The complaint alleged that those who were taught by Franco at Studio 4 Film School in New York and Los Angeles were the victims of fraud, the report said.

Tither-Kaplan will receive $670,500, minus $223,500 less in fees going to the lawyers.

Gaal will get $223,500, minus $74,500 to the lawyers, the report said.

The other students would get almost two-thirds of the remaining pot of $1.341 million, with the lawyers’ total take being around $827,000.

As part of the settlement, the parties have also agreed to a statement that reads in part: “While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood. All agree on the need to make sure that no one in the entertainment industry — regardless of race, religion, disability, ethnicity, background, gender or sexual orientation — faces discrimination, harassment or prejudice of any kind.”

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