Date: 16th September 2010

Casey Affleck Settles Sexual Harassment Case


Casey Affleck has settled out of court with two women who filed sexual-harassment lawsuits against him for alleged incidents on the set of I'm Still Here (2010), Affleck's documentary about his brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix.

Producer Amanda White and cinematographer Magdalena Gorka had sued for $2m and $2.25m respectively, claiming they were subjected to outrageous behaviour while working on the film. White also said Affleck had broken a verbal agreement to pay her $50,000. Both women will now receive due credit for their work on the project, though no details of any financial settlement have been released.

White's original allegations included claims that Affleck hired transvestite prostitutes "for his personal gratification" during filming, referred to women as "cows", manhandled her when she rejected his sexual advances and instructed a camera operator to flash his genitals at her on several occasions. Gorka claimed she was subjected to a "near daily barrage of sexual comments, innuendo and unwelcome advances" by crew members, encouraged by Affleck.

Affleck vehemently denied the allegations and threatened to countersue after the two women first made their claims. But the two sides held a mediation a few weeks ago that eventually led to the settlement, the LA Times reports. According to a spokesperson for Affleck, the dispute has been resolved to the mutual satisfation of both parties and the lawsuits have been dismissed.

Source: Press Release