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Strauss-Kahn, NYC hotel maid settle suit
Source: Agencies |
December 12, 2012, Wednesday
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WHEN a settlement ended the last legal fallout from the sexual assault allegation that sank his political career, Dominique Strauss-Kahn kept his distance.
The former International Monetary Fund leader, once seen as a promising French presidential candidate, stayed in Paris and stayed mum as a New York judge announced the settlement on Monday.
But his accuser, hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo, spoke out publicly in one of few times she has done so.
Standing outside the courthouse, she thanked God and "everyone who supported me all over the world."
The lawsuit settlement - its details sealed - came after prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year, saying Diallo had credibility problems. For her, the deal means she "can move on with her life," said one of her lawyers, Kenneth Thompson.
For Strauss-Kahn, it closes another of a number of sexual allegations that have confronted him since Diallo told police in May 2011 that he'd attacked her. He is still fighting charges of aggravated pimping in France.
In a statement, Strauss-Kahn attorneys William Taylor III and Amit Mehta said the former diplomat was "pleased to have arrived at a resolution" of the New York suit.
Longtime Strauss-Kahn friend and political ally Michele Sabban, vice president of the regional government around Paris, said yesterday he was "relieved" over the agreement.
"Ever since May 15, 2011, this has been something that has weighed very heavily," said Sabban, who had a long-planned dinner on Monday with Strauss-Kahn. "Now, he is turning to the future ... the page has turned."
Diallo, 33, a housekeeper from Guinea, told police Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex, tried to rape her and tore a ligament in her shoulder after she arrived to clean his luxury hotel suite. The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn, who has since separated from his wife, has said what happened was "a moral failing" but was consensual.
The allegations spurred his arrest, forced him to resign his IMF post and cut off his potential candidacy for the French presidency.
The criminal case was dropped after prosecutors said they couldn't trust Diallo. She said she always told the truth about Strauss-Kahn and would press her claims in the lawsuit. Strauss-Kahn called the suit defamatory and countersued for US$1 million.
Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon said he met Diallo earlier this year and talked with her about the prospect of settlement talks. A final deal was inked just on Monday, McKeon said.
After Diallo came forward, other allegations emerged about Strauss-Kahn's behavior toward women. He had been known as a womanizer but largely viewed as debonair.
French judges are to decide by next Wednesday whether to throw out the aggravated pimping charges, linked to a suspected prostitution ring run out of a luxury hotel in Lille. He acknowledges attending "libertine" gatherings but says he didn't know about any women getting paid to participate.
The former International Monetary Fund leader, once seen as a promising French presidential candidate, stayed in Paris and stayed mum as a New York judge announced the settlement on Monday.
But his accuser, hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo, spoke out publicly in one of few times she has done so.
Standing outside the courthouse, she thanked God and "everyone who supported me all over the world."
The lawsuit settlement - its details sealed - came after prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year, saying Diallo had credibility problems. For her, the deal means she "can move on with her life," said one of her lawyers, Kenneth Thompson.
For Strauss-Kahn, it closes another of a number of sexual allegations that have confronted him since Diallo told police in May 2011 that he'd attacked her. He is still fighting charges of aggravated pimping in France.
In a statement, Strauss-Kahn attorneys William Taylor III and Amit Mehta said the former diplomat was "pleased to have arrived at a resolution" of the New York suit.
Longtime Strauss-Kahn friend and political ally Michele Sabban, vice president of the regional government around Paris, said yesterday he was "relieved" over the agreement.
"Ever since May 15, 2011, this has been something that has weighed very heavily," said Sabban, who had a long-planned dinner on Monday with Strauss-Kahn. "Now, he is turning to the future ... the page has turned."
Diallo, 33, a housekeeper from Guinea, told police Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex, tried to rape her and tore a ligament in her shoulder after she arrived to clean his luxury hotel suite. The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn, who has since separated from his wife, has said what happened was "a moral failing" but was consensual.
The allegations spurred his arrest, forced him to resign his IMF post and cut off his potential candidacy for the French presidency.
The criminal case was dropped after prosecutors said they couldn't trust Diallo. She said she always told the truth about Strauss-Kahn and would press her claims in the lawsuit. Strauss-Kahn called the suit defamatory and countersued for US$1 million.
Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon said he met Diallo earlier this year and talked with her about the prospect of settlement talks. A final deal was inked just on Monday, McKeon said.
After Diallo came forward, other allegations emerged about Strauss-Kahn's behavior toward women. He had been known as a womanizer but largely viewed as debonair.
French judges are to decide by next Wednesday whether to throw out the aggravated pimping charges, linked to a suspected prostitution ring run out of a luxury hotel in Lille. He acknowledges attending "libertine" gatherings but says he didn't know about any women getting paid to participate.
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