Casey Affleck Lawsuits Add to Strange Story of 'I'm Still Here'
Women claim actor-director Casey Affleck sexually harassed them.
Aug. 5, 2010 — -- He wasn't meant to be the star of "I'm Still Here," but a twist in the already strange story about the making of a strange movie has put Casey Affleck front and center.
Last month, two staffers from Affleck's upcoming documentary about Joaquin Phoenix filed lawsuits accusing the actor/director of sexual harassment. Cinematographer Magdalena Gorka and producer Amanda White claim Affleck repeatedly made derogatory comments towards them.
Their legal complaints detail specific greivances: Gorka claims Affleck groped her as she slept; White says Affleck violently grabbed her after she refused to sleep in the same hotel room as him.
Click HERE to read White's complaint. Click HERE to read Gorka's complaint.
While other female staffers have publicly defended the filmmaker in the wake of the lawsuits, Brian Procel, the lawyer for White and Gorka, told ABCNews.com that his clients' allegations are just the tip of the iceberg in what he calls a mounting case against Affleck.
"The documents and the witnesses in this case will support the truth," he said.
According to Procel, Affleck's attorneys tried to buy Gorka's silence after White filed a $2 million lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 23. Gorka filed a $2.25 million lawsuit one week later, also in L.A. Superior Court.
"Ms. Gorka was told by Affleck's attorneys, just after the film was picked up for distribution by Magnolia, that she would not be paid her deferred compensation," Procel said. "A week or so later, after Ms. White filed her lawsuit, Ms. Gorka was again contacted by Affleck's attorneys and they offered to make her a settlement in an attempt to obtain her silence. I think it's pretty clear that they were afraid that she would also come forward with sexual harassment allegations."
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