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LOS ANGELES - Casey Affleck is firing back at the woman who has sued him for sexual harassment during the shoot of his upcoming Joaquin Phoenix documentary.
Michael Plonsker, a litigator representing Affleck and production company Flemmy Prods, issued a statement Friday denying the allegations and vowing to file cross-claims against Amanda White, who worked on "I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix" and says Affleck refused to pay her when she wouldn't spend the night in a hotel room with him.
"The allegations brought upon our clients are preposterous and without merit," Plonsker says. "Ms. White was terminated from the production over a year ago. She and her lawyers believe that this maliciously and erroneously filed complaint will cause the producers to succumb to her outrageous and baseless demands. She is mistaken. The complaint will be vigorously defended and cross-claims will be filed against her."
White's $2 million suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges she was forced to endure debauched behavior during production of "I'm Still Here," including "uninvited and unwelcome sexual advances in the workplace" and an impromptu shoot in a Las Vegas hotel room filled with hookers and transvestites.
Neither Joaquin Phoenix nor Magnolia Pictures, which recently picked up distribution rights to the film and plans to release it in September, are named as defendants in the suit.