"The timing of the lawsuit was unusual for cases that also involve criminal prosecutions; typically, accusers wait until a criminal matter is resolved before proceeding with a civil action, which can interfere with a pending criminal case. Nonetheless, the action seemed noteworthy for its choice of jurisdiction. The housekeeper, a Guinean immigrant, lives in the Bronx, and jurors there may be more sympathetic to an African woman’s claims against a powerful Frenchman than jurors would be in Manhattan, where the encounter occurred. The lawsuit was also noteworthy for its smattering of new details.
A lawyer for the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, indicated in court papers that he was prepared to introduce testimony from other women who say they were attacked by Mr. Strauss-Kahn in “hotel rooms around the world,” and in apartments specifically used by him “for the purpose of covering up his crimes.” The lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, declined to elaborate.
The lawsuit also asserts that Mr. Strauss-Kahn made an obscene request to Ms. Diallo in commanding her to perform oral sex, and describes in explicit detail her characterization of the subsequent act and her reaction to it.
The complaint, which seeks damages for mental anguish, says Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s “senseless attack on Ms. Diallo has caused her to suffer both physical and psychological harm, as well as permanent harm to her professional and personal reputations, and severe mental anguish and emotional distress, from which she may never recover.”
Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, William W. Taylor III and Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement that they had always maintained that the motivation of Mr. Thompson and his client was to make money. “The filing of this lawsuit ends any doubt on that question,” the statement said. “The civil suit has no merit and Mr. Strauss-Kahn will defend it vigorously.” "
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/nyregion/nafissatou-diallo-sues-strauss-kahn.html?hp
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