Casey Affleck settles sexual harassment claims

Affleck is the younger brother of actor Ben Affleck

Actor Casey Affleck has settled sexual harassment cases filed against him by two women who worked on his documentary about actor Joaquin Phoenix.

Cinematographer Magdalena Gorka and producer Amanda White sued Affleck in July for $2.25 million (£1.45m) and $2 million (£1.3m) respectively.

In a statement, Affleck's lawyer said the disputes "have been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties".

It added Ms Gorka and Ms White's legal claims were now being dismissed.

The pair had claimed they left the production team of I'm Still Here following "uninvited and unwelcome sexual advances" from Affleck, who is married to Phoenix's sister.

Ms White claimed Affleck refused to pay her salary because she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him, while Ms Gorka alleged Affleck crawled into bed with her as she slept.

The actor's lawyers denied the allegations, calling them part of a scheme to extort money from Affleck.

Both Ms White and Ms Gorka will receive a credit on the film, but neither side would comment when asked to reveal financial terms.

I'm Still Here documents a year in the life of Phoenix after he announced his retirement from films in 2008, to pursue a new career as a hip hop musician.

It is the directorial debut for Affleck, who is best known for his Oscar-nominated role opposite Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and the thriller Gone Baby Gone, directed by his older brother, Ben.