Dominique Strauss-Kahn May File Civil Charges Against Hotel Maid

NEW YORK -- Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn might take legal action in civil court against the hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a now-dismissed criminal case and in her ongoing civil suit, one of his lawyers said Tuesday.

Strauss-Kahn, a former French presidential candidate, could file his own claims to counter housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo's lawsuit, "and that's certainly a consideration," lawyer Benjamin Brafman said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Because she did lie, and he has suffered enormous damages as a result of those lies."

A court Tuesday dismissed the attempted-rape and other charges against Strauss-Kahn, who resigned his IMF post, spent five days in jail and then spent about six weeks on high-priced house arrest before being freed from it July 1. The dismissal came after prosecutors said they couldn't pursue the case because of doubts about Diallo's credibility and a lack of other evidence to prove a forced sexual encounter.

Diallo wasn't truthful with prosecutors about several aspects of her life and changed her account of what she did right after when she claims she was attacked, prosecutors said.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have long said the encounter at a luxurious Manhattan hotel, though brief, was consensual. But while Diallo's account of it has been recounted in interviews, in her lawsuit and in the now-defunct prosecution, the married Strauss-Kahn doesn't want to detail his version of what happened, Brafman said.

"What happened in that room, so long as we have now confirmed that it wasn't criminal, is really not something that needs to be discussed publicly," Brafman said in the AP interview. "You can engage in behavior that you're not proud of, and maybe some people might consider it inappropriate – it doesn't mean that you committed a crime. And it's not something that you may want to discuss, at the end of the day."

Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, didn't immediately respond to an email inquiry about the possibility of Strauss-Kahn filing his own claims in civil court. Thompson has said it's "utter nonsense" to say the encounter was consensual. Earlier Tuesday, he blasted the dismissal of the case, saying prosecutors "would not allow a woman to have her day in court."

Diallo says Strauss-Kahn chased her down in his hotel suite on May 14, grabbed her crotch, propelled her to the ground and forced her to perform oral sex. His semen was found on her uniform, and a gynecological exam found a mark that her lawyer holds up as evidence of an attack but prosecutors say could have resulted from a number of other things.

From the start, Strauss-Kahn's lawyers considered her account implausible, partly because neither she nor Strauss-Kahn had bruises reflecting a forceful attack, Brafman said.

The Associated Press does not usually name people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea, has done.

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Comments

[joannie iv]

05:40 PM on 08/26/2011

She is a liar can you convince me that she is not?

[chvol]

03:45 PM on 08/28/2011

How do you define "is a liar"? Anyone who has ever said something not true? DSK first denied having sex with her at all - until his sperm was discovered.

[Luuke]

07:36 PM on 08/28/2011

Gang rape-not true ,number of children-not true, events about the "rape" -not true .. Fits your definition ? Lemme know pls

[piceaglauca]

03:17 PM on 08/25/2011

Get over it and move on. Don't you still have two French women to deal with?

[Hrover]

02:36 PM on 08/25/2011

Hope he does. And then deport her.

[frenchfrog]

02:29 PM on 08/25/2011

Good for him. Both Diallo and Thompson need to be publicly exposed for what they are: greedy and manipulative. I highly doubt a decent judge will find any merit to the civil suit after what happened but they do, I can't wait for Brafman and Taylor's cross-examination of Diallo. Thompson's personal vendetta against DSK and now Vance is baseless and unprofessional.

[chvol]

03:47 PM on 08/28/2011

"greedy and manipulati­ve" Better than being a serial rapist, wouldn't you say? And why is using the judicial system wrong? DSK's lawyers faulted her for filing suite - that's what they do for a living!

[srooge]

01:32 AM on 08/25/2011

Now for the legal rapping

[babybecks]

08:38 PM on 08/24/2011

"I want to make a point about a small detail that's become a source of great confusion. According to the DA's motion to dismiss and the first news articles about Diallo's credibility issues in early July, she did NOT lie on her asylum application about being gang r a p e d in Africa. In fact, the first time that she told this tale to anyone was to the DA's prosecutors immediately after lodging her complaint against DSK. So, it turns out that she wasn't merely trying to keep her life story "consistent" during her interviews with the prosecutors, as some of her advocates would have us believe. She made up the r a p e story on the spot at the DA's Office for goodness knows what reason.

Somewhere in the course of the media circus this fine distinction was lost, and I think that it is an important one. It helps us to understand that the DA moved to dismiss the charges not because she was a poor, scared woman who just wanted to stick to the story that she gave to immigration officials, but because they found her to be a pathological liar capable of contriving pure fiction in an emotional and believable manner to those--cops, prosecutors, and even the Grand Jury--who were just trying to help her.

Thus, dismissal was the only logical step."

http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/nyregion/charges-against-strauss-kahn-dismissed.html?sort=highlights

[jopa60]

11:27 AM on 08/25/2011

That is great, but what about DSK? What about our system which allowed this case?

He suffered huge losses in all respects, he was ill treated by the NY police and placed in the horrible jail, he lost his job and control of the IMF as a result a lot of bad things in Europe and the World happen, he almost lost his chance to be elected to be a French President and other aspects.
And now all is fine, she is just a "pathological liar"?
We should look deep into this case to understand how it became possible, who was really behind this case and what do we do to fix this problem, so we live in the Free and Open Country and not in the Police State, where all you need to get in jail is somebody fabricated statement.
That is how Stalin's USSR worked, but is should not be USA mode of operation in the 21 Century.

[frenchfrog]

02:17 PM on 08/25/2011

You have point. She lied about lying on her asylum petition to the DA, which shows how unreliable she is. But she entered the US with a bogus visa, which is illegal and for this she should be deported, especially that since her entry to the US, she hasn't been what you call a perfect resident (lies on her tax forms, to get aid for an accommodation, etc.)

[Crawfish Festival]

06:27 PM on 08/24/2011

Diallo knew about DSK's sexual appetite. The entire world knew about it.

It gives the appearance that she tried to cash in on it - playing the victim.

After the alleged assault, Diallo cleaned-up other rooms - and returned later to clean up DSK's room = returning to the scene of the alleged crime - just like an arsonist.

[chvol]

03:51 PM on 08/28/2011

"Diallo knew about DSK's sexual appetite. The entire world knew about it." Really???? I'm a person and I never ever heard of the guy. Maybe the French all know about his "appetite" - is that a euphamism for "raping women"?

[Luuke]

07:50 PM on 08/28/2011

Its called entrapment ...

[Crawfish Festival]

06:24 PM on 08/24/2011

DIALLO's first attorneys dropped her as client - because of her LIES!!!!

[Crawfish Festival]

06:23 PM on 08/24/2011

"Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, didn't immediately respond to an email inquiry about the possibility of Strauss-Kahn filing his own claims in civil court. Thompson has said it's "utter nonsense" to say the encounter was consensual. Earlier Tuesday, he blasted the dismissal of the case, saying prosecutors "would not allow a woman to have her day in court."

*******

What was diallo doing - anyway - in entering the occupied room -
while he was in the shower? Going shopping?

She lived on government-assisted housing - but had numerous bank accounts in which a drug trafficker placed money in these accounts - that she lied to investigators falsely portraying that she did not know where the money came from - only to change her story that the money was given to her by her fiance and friends.

Diallo should be forced to return ALL money provided to her by US taxpayers - while she was participating in criminal activities - clearly able to support herself - through the money laundering schemes w the drug trafficker.

Diallo lied about having only ONE phone - when she had FIVE phones - paying for them from the bank accounts in her name.

She also LIED about being gang-raped in her country - and falsified her application for entry into The United States of America.

Diallo should be immediately DEPORTED - and appear in court - by SKYPE!

[melphaze]

07:07 PM on 08/24/2011

Bullsh-t

[babybecks]

08:41 PM on 08/24/2011

Which part? Why? She had 60 grand in the bank. It's not rich by any means, but enough not to qualify for government assistance.

[Luuke]

06:10 AM on 08/26/2011

your keyboard has couple of them

[Crawfish Festival]

08:26 PM on 08/24/2011

"melphaze" - was hoping for a change that no one remembers the FACTS that I posted - acquired from reading articles on HuffPo.

[MIKEinNYC]

05:57 PM on 08/24/2011

It would be ridiculous to sue the maid because he'd never collect from her as she is most likely a deadbeat and will probably be deported once IRS and INS are done with her.

If he needs the dough, he could sue the City for false arrest and malicious prosecutio­n. The fact that the case was dismissed at the request of the prosecutor­s, his adversary, makes out a prima facie case against the City. A slam-dunk.

If I was Bloomie I'd try to work out a deal where DSK gets a public apology plus reimbursem­­ent for his out-of-poc­­ket expenses in exchange for a Release of Claims. That would be fair. The guy's damages right now are moderately large, i.e. his out-of-poc­ket for defending against this debacle plus the wages that he is losing from the IMF job that he had to resign from.

If I was his lawyer I'd be filing a Notice of Claim with the City, a prerequisi­te to any suit against the City.

If I was the media I'd be keeping an eye on 1 Centre Street to see if a Notice of Claim, a prerequisite for a tort claim, gets filed. I think he has 90 days to do that and the clock is now ticking. Filed Notices of Claim are public records. If he files, it'd be interestin­g to see what his Notice says.

[Protocolor]

11:25 PM on 08/24/2011

He doesn't need the money. He needs to clear his name completely. Just having the charges dismissed is not enough.

[chvol]

03:57 PM on 08/28/2011

"It would be ridiculous to sue the maid because he'd never collect from her as she is most likely a deadbeat and will probably be deported once IRS and INS are done with her." Be serious. He wouldn't appear in a court of law against her for all the money in the world. In fact, he's paying dearly to avoid just that.

Every aspect of this case points towards his guilt: his refusal to defend himself, the medical exams of thje victim, his past history of attacking women. No honest sane person can say that it isn't obvious what happened.

[fmirabelli]

05:17 PM on 08/24/2011

Actually, the hotle maid has begun a civil suit against Strauss-Kahn in order to win a financial gain. It is only fair to file against her to dispute any settlement.

[chvol]

03:58 PM on 08/28/2011

He will respond only to the extent he has to. But nfw is he going to appear in court. He's headed for that one-way flight to France he was yanked from.

[dourdinlives]

05:12 PM on 08/24/2011

comfort women.....i guess once you get used to wanting rapers to go free..its a hard habit to break. liars get raped too.

[frenchfrog]

02:21 PM on 08/25/2011

Sure liars get raped. And it's awful. But in this case, it's extremely hard to believe. A forced BJ? Unless he had a gun, unlikely because too risky. And the medical report doesn't support her story.

[MaliceCooper]

04:39 PM on 08/24/2011

I think Mr Gross-Kahn will settle this out of court. He doesn't want to explain publicly his inappropriate behavior with that woman.

[Luuke]

06:13 AM on 08/26/2011

Wrong ....He's going to make this woman's life a living hell in the US before she is deported to her home country which is a double living hell after all thats what she put him through....

[chvol]

04:01 PM on 08/28/2011

"what she put him through...­. " For reporting the fact that he raped her??

[hughsie2]

04:23 PM on 08/24/2011

He should countersue her - after all, her allegations ruined his life and she just wants money - there should be an intense investigation into who put this woman up to this.

[Protocolor]

11:30 PM on 08/24/2011

And if the trail of evidence leads to France's DGSE or America's CIA, then what?

[jopa60]

11:31 AM on 08/25/2011

Absolutely true, she was not alone and I am afraid, we will never see who exactly was behind her case, because it leads too high up.

[David Camin]

04:04 PM on 08/24/2011

Wow go after the victim after the district attorney decides there isn't enough proof. There was some sexual activity between the two and for him it was adultery because he was married. Where are the Christians and their values to attack this man for going against God's law and especially the 10 Commandments? Will they let him get away with this? Yes, that sin is ok so lets get back to attacking gays because they are mentioned 2 times in the bible while adultery is mentioned throughout.

[S Buey]

04:25 PM on 08/24/2011

the only victim in this case if any at all would be him. She for sure is not a victim.

[chvol]

04:04 PM on 08/28/2011

"She for sure is not a victim." What proof is there that she was not raped? Her immigration application??

[GirlInNYC]

05:09 PM on 08/24/2011

David, one of the "Christians" was very present. He was Pastor A.R. Bernard from the CCC in Brooklyn -- a mega church. She spoke there, and he stood beside she and her attorney at a few televised press conferences.