After weeks of alluding to plans to file a civil suit against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the lawyers for the alleged victim, Nafissatou Diallo, this afternoon made good on their promise. Kenneth P. Thompson filed the suit n Bronx supreme court, seeking “damages in an amount to be determined at trial,” in addition to punitive damages.
“Believing he was immune from the laws of this country,” the suit alleges, “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.”
It further alleges that Mr. Strauss-Kahn, “a man who had aspirations to become the next President of France, violently attacked and sexually assaulted an innocent hardworking immigrant woman from Africa whom he had never met before and who had entered his hotel room merely to do her job and clean it, like she had cleaned other hotel rooms at the Sofitel that day.”
In addition, the suit contends, Mr. Strauss-Kahn “completely humiliated and degraded Ms. Diallo by forcing Ms. Diallo to her knees at the end of a corridor outside of a bathroom in the back of the hotel suite, violently grabbing the back of her head with his hands and shoving and thrusting his penis back and forth into her mouth against her will until he ejaculated.”
Of the suit, Mr. Thompson said, “It’s true in the criminal justice system that money often makes the difference. What I’m trying to do in this case is make sure that this victim has a strong advocate, someone who has prosectuted cases, and someone who beilieves strongly in the rule of law.”
Benjamin Brafman, attorney for Dominique Strauss-Kahn could not immediately be reached for comment.
