The Affleck and Phoenix families have been joined through marriage and friendship by the multiple siblings each share. Some would call them Hollywood royalty. When bad boy shenanigans are laid bare, however, as MSNBC and other publications have reported, the public and courts must sift through allegations of sexual abuse from a name they don't know so well: Amanda White.
White has filed a $2 million lawsuit against Casey Affleck for lurid sexual harassment and unpaid producing fees while working on the film, "I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix."
The film, a documentary, is about Affleck's brother-in-law, Joaquin Phoenix, and his attempts to become a rap artist. (Casey Affleck is married to Joaquin's sister Summer.) Phoenix had been a successful actor prior to his latest incarnation, and the public scrutiny on his "rapping" has been less than favorable. One of the worst being his negligibly lazy appearance on the David Letterman TV show in 2009.
The salary in question for White's work is $50,000. The agreement was oral only, no written contract exists. White, though not a well-known player by name, worked with Ben Affleck, Casey's brother, on the award-winning film, "Good Will Hunting."
The "uninvited and unwelcome sexual advances in the workplace" named in the suit include tales of hookers, transvestites and even a male strip tease.
It began when Affleck instructed another crewmember to remove his pants to show White, while she objected, his penis. Affleck discussed his sexual life and the sex life of other celebrities, highlighting exploits that he allegedly witnessed, in White's presence. While often referring to all women as cows he suggested to White, that due to her age, she should be pregnant already.
The suit goes on to allege that Affleck and Phoenix used White's bedroom to entertain two women while shooting in Costa Rica. Affleck had requested that White stay in a hotel room with him, and when she didn't comply, he grabbed her and made her feel intimidated.
White also received collaboration for these charges from Magdalena Gorka, the female cinema photographer on the film. Gorka and White had been witness to an "impromptu" scene for the film that was completely unscripted. Affleck had hired several prostitutes and male transvestites for an evening shoot that followed Phoenix's rap performance. White contends that there were approximately 35 people there just procured for Affleck's "personal gratification." The prostitute sequence is absent from the film.
The final straw came when Affleck "became hostile and aggressive" towards White. She told him that she was upset and would have to stop working on the film. When she asked for her $50,000 deal to be in writing for the job, the production's attorney, David Weber, allegedly began to discuss a settlement. By September 2009, Weber now allegedly took a negative attitude towards White as well. She quit the film when she felt she would never get paid.
The suit is filed by attorneys Skip Miller and Brian Procel.
If you feel you have been the victim of a personal injury due to any form of sexual harassment, contact a Personal Injury Lawyer immediately.