James Franco: Judge Dismisses, in Part, Lawsuit Filed by Actor's Former NYU Professor

Legal action had been brought against the star after calling José Angel Santana a "bad teacher"

You might say James Franco schooled his former NYU professor.

The Oz: The Great and Powerful star managed to get a judge to dismiss, in part, a lawsuit filed by José Angel Santana against the actor in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday, E! News confirms.

Santana had sued Franco last month for defamation after the Oscar nominee told reporters he thought Santana was a "bad teacher," hence Franco's decision to only attend two of the professor's 14 class sessions.

NEWS: James Franco loves Ryan Gosling

Franco's lawyer, however, maintained that the actor's comments regarding Santana were protected by freedom of speech.

As for Wednesday's ruling, a court clerk did not want to elaborate as to why part of the case is still standing.

—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum