Two women have accused James Franco of sexual exploitation that allegedly occurred at his Studio 4 acting school.

According to the New York Times, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal have filed a lawsuit against actor and his business partner Vince Jolivette, claiming that the men sexually exploited students at the now-defunct school. Franco and Jolivette’s Rabbit Bandini Productions company is also listed as a defendant along with the company’s general manager Jay Davis.

Tither-Kaplan and Gaal—both former students of the school, which shut down in 2017—added that 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.

Per the Times:

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.

Tither-Kaplan previously spoke about her experiences at Studio 4 in a 2018 article in the Los Angeles Times. She also blasted Franco for sporting a Times Up pin at the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony, suggesting that his support for the Times Up movement—which aims to combat sexual misconduct—was disingenuous.

Tither-Kaplan and Gaal are seeking monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any video recordings submitted by former Studio 4 students. According to the Times, the plaintiffs are also seeking “class-action status so other women who may have similar histories with the defendants can join in the suit.”

We can’t wait to see how this pans out.