Post date: Dec 07, 2012 11:41:45 AM
With a court date fixed in New York, a settlement is expected between formerInternational Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the hotel chambermaid who accused him of sexual assault-- an agreement which could come with a multi-million dollar price tag.
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 6, 2012) (REUTERS) - The end may be in sight for a long-running sex scandal surrounding Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the former International Monetary Fund chief is reportedly preparing to settle a civil lawsuit with a former hotel chambermaid who accused him of sexually assaulting her.
The Bronx County Supreme Court judge overseeing the case issued a two-paragraph order on Tuesday (December 4) inviting the plaintiff Nafissatou Diallo to appear in open court "if the action is settled", with a court date confirmed for Monday afternoon. No mention was made of Strauss-Kahn who is unlikely to appear in person.The criminal case against the former French finance minister collapsed when doubts were cast over the reliability of Diallo's testimony but just weeks beforehand she filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of a "brutal" assault and seeking unspecified damages. Strauss-Kahn has always insisted the sexual encounter was consensual.
Franco-American lawyer and legal expert Christopher Mesnooh told Reuters TV on Thursday that any deal that might be struck within the pair would be the end of the affair, although the terms of the agreement would remain shrouded in secrecy.
"I don't know how much the settlement will be but I think in this case it will seem high, even very high, for people outside the United States. But are we talking about six million dollars, ten million dollars, one million dollars or some other amount? It's absolutely impossible for me to say. What's more it's impossible for anyone, apart from their lawyers themselves, to give the precise figure," he said.
He added that strict secrecy clauses were likely to prevent the terms of the agreement ever being made public.
Whilst any settlement would see an end to Strauss-Kahn's legal woes on the other side of the Atlantic, he is still under official investigation for separate charges in his nativeFrance.
"There's still a matter pending relating to organised sex parties and prostitution and pimping. There is going to be a court decision currently scheduled for December 19 here in France, in northern France, outside of Lille. And depending on how that case goes it may be that by the end of this year, from a legal perspective, he's a free man," Mesnooh said.
The alleged incident with Diallo at the Sofitel hotel in New York brought an end to the politician's career at the IMF and scuppered his French presidential ambitions.