As promised, the housekeeper who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual abuse filed a civil lawsuit against the ex-IMF chief in the Bronx Supreme Court today. The suit seeks “damages in an amount to be determined at trial” for emotional, physical, and psychological harm, in addition to damage done to her reputation. “Defendant Strauss-Kahn intentionally, brutally and violently sexually assaulted Ms. Diallo and in the process humiliated, violated and robbed Ms. Diallo of her dignity as a woman,” the suit contends. “Ms. Diallo now brings this lawsuit to vindicate her rights, to assert her dignity as a woman, to hold Dominique Strauss-Kahn accountable for the violent and deplorable acts he committed.”
The suit describes in detail the alleged attack, including aforementioned accounts of DSK forcing his accuser to perform oral sex before checking out of the hotel and attempting to leave the country. In response to going public with her side of the story, Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers contended that “Ms. Diallo is the first accuser in history to conduct a media campaign to persuade a prosecutor to pursue charges.”
Regardless of whether of not criminal allegations against the aspiring French president move forward, Diallo will pursue damages “to teach her young daughter that no man ’ regardless of how much money, power and influence he may have ’ should ever be allowed to violate her body, and to stand up for all women who have been raped … but are too afraid to speak out,” according to the text of today’s lawsuit.
Strauss-Kahn is due back in court for the criminal case on August 23.
Hotel housekeeper sues alleged attacker Dominique Strauss-Kahn [CNN]
Nafissatou Diallo, Maid in the DSK case, Files Suit In Bronx Supreme Court [NYO]
Civil lawsuit filed in Strauss-Kahn case [ABC]
