Attorneys for former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn are seeking to have the gender-based crime alleged by hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo dropped against him because they claim the law is “impermissibly vague.” The law in question has been on the books in New York City for twelve years. It says, a “‘crime of violence motivated by gender’ means a crime of violence committed because of gender or on the basis of gender, and due, at least in part, to an animus based on the victim’s gender.”
Diallo’s claim arises from an encounter between the two at the Sofitel Hotel in 2011 during which she says he committed a “violent and sadistic attack” that robbed her of “her dignity as a woman.” DSK’s attorneys wrote of the so-called vague charge, “Whether conduct is motivated by ‘animus’ is, by its very nature, a subjective and imprecise inquiry.” The Associated Press writes that it’s unclear how many persons have made claims under the law.
Diallo’s attorney says she will eventually get her day in court, whether it be on the disputed claim or for assault. Her attorneys are also attempting to portray Kahn as a some kind of sexual deviant with animus toward women, noting a charge against him in France for “aggravated pimping,” which at least sounds like a slightly more straightforward accusation.
