Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A judge says a hotel maid's lawsuit claiming that Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her can proceed to trial in New York City.
Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon ruled Tuesday in the housekeeper's civil case. His decision was first reported by The New York Post.
The maid says Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in his Manhattan hotel suite in May. Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter.
Prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last summer.
Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said the civil suit also should be dismissed. They argued he has diplomatic immunity from the lawsuit because of his former post as head of the International Monetary Fund. He resigned shortly after his arrest.
The maid's lawyers say the immunity argument is off-base. They note that it relies on a United Nations agreement the U.S. didn't sign.
