Strauss-Kahn accuser files civil suit
The Guinean chambermaid accusing French ex-IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape filed a civil suit Monday in New York alleging a "sadistic attack" and seeking compensation.
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Nafissatou Diallo’s move came as New York prosecutors deliberated over whether to drop sex assault charges against Strauss-Kahn.
The suit alleges "sexual assault, battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress upon Ms Diallo, whom he sexually assaulted as she attempted to do her job as a housekeeper".
Strauss-Kahn, the suit says, "intentionally, brutally and violently sexually assaulted Ms Diallo and in the process humiliated, degraded, violated and robbed Ms Diallo of her dignity as a woman”.
The ensuing emotional and mental distress was such that "she may never recover."
No specific amount of money is named.
Alleging that the French former politician forced his penis into Diallo’s mouth, the suit claimed that Strauss-Kahn had assaulted women in "hotel rooms around the world".
Diallo’s lawyers have requested a jury trial in the Bronx, the New York area where she lives and where the local state court has a reputation for favouring victims in civil suits.
Strauss-Kahn ‘s lawyers accused Diallo and her lead lawyer Kenneth Thompson of being after their wealthy client's fortune.
"We have maintained from the beginning that the motivation of Mr Thompson and his client was to make money. The filing of this lawsuit ends any doubt on that question. The civil suit has no merit and Mr Strauss-Kahn will defend it vigourously," attorneys William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman said.
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