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Hotel Maid's Lawyer: She'll Sue Dominique Strauss-Kahn
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
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Yesterday, the hotel maid who is accusing former IMF head Dominque Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape and forcing her to perform oral sex met with the Manhattan DA's office to discuss the case. While the Manhattan DA's office believes its case against Strauss-Kahn is on shaky ground enough to agree that he should be free on bail, a lawyer for Nafissatou Diallo the DA's office misinterpreted a recording that supposedly implied Diallo may have been trying to shake down the powerful Frenchman. And not only that, Diallo will also sue Strauss-Kahn.
Earlier, the NY Times reported that a recording made between Diallo and a friend of hers in jail revealed she said, "Don’t worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I’m doing," when discussing the rape. But her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, who listened to the recording with a Fulani interpreter yesterday had a different interpretation. According to the NY Times:
“The first call that the guy in prison made to Nafi Diallo corroborates that Dominique Strauss-Kahn violently attacked her and tried to rape her,” Mr. Thompson said.
It was during the second call that the subject of money came up, the lawyer said.
“The guy in jail called back several hours later, expressing concern, ‘Are you O.K.,’ and she says she is,” Mr. Thompson said. “During the second conversation, she said, ‘People from France keep calling me and saying he’s rich and powerful.’ ”
The man then expressed concern about her, the lawyer said, asking whether she was safe.
“She told him she was in Manhattan, that a lawyer was coming to see her — it was not me,” Mr. Thompson said. “She said, ‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.’ ”
, "So when you think about that quote, the quote was misleading in my opinion because the quote made it seem like her sole focus was on his money and how to get his money." Thompson also said his client would sue Strauss-Kahn. Strauss-Kahn, a politician thought to be a frontrunner in the next French presidential election, is also accused of attempted sexual assault by a French writer.
Diallo has gone public, with a cover interview in Newsweek and in interviews with ABC News, in an effort to bolster her case and to counter insinuations that she is a prostitute. She will be speaking in public for the first time today, in an event thanking people for their support.
Tagged
allegations
cy vance
dominique strauss-kahn
he said she said
hotel maid
lawsuit
manhattan da's office
Nafissatou Diallo
sexual assault
translation
trial
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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