Casey Affleck pulls out of presenting Best Actress Oscar

Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck has pulled out of this year's Academy Awards, his publicist has confirmed.
By tradition, Affleck - who won Best Actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 - would have been expected to present the Best Actress award this year. The actor, brother of Hollywood star Ben Affleck, was sued by two female crew members for alleged sexual harassment in 2010. He denies the allegations, and the lawsuits were settled out of court. An Oscars spokeswoman confirmed that Affleck would not attend, saying: "We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year." Oscars 2018: The nominees in full What are the claims against Affleck? Affleck's accusers, producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka, say they were harassed during the making of the mockumentary film I'm Still Here, which Affleck directed.

Ms White claimed that Affleck had refused to pay her salary because she would not spend the night in a hotel room with him, and said she endured, "a nearly daily barrage of sexual comments, innuendo and unwelcome advances by crew members, within the presence and with the active encouragement of Affleck".

source: www.bbc.com