Strauss-Kahn reaches settlement with hotel maid in sex case
Nafissatou Diallo (R), a 33-year-old Guinean immigrant who accused former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, and Strauss-Kahn (L).
Former International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn has reached a settlement with a hotel maid who had accused him of sexual assault in May 2011.
New York Judge Douglas McKeon announced the agreement today, the BBC reported. Details of the deal will not be made public.
The housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, was at the hearing in New York State Supreme Court in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the New York Times reported. Strauss-Kahn was absent.
After the hearing, Diallo told reporters: “I thank everyone all over the world and everyone at the court. God bless you all.”
The settlement marks the end of the longrunning legal saga between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo, who launched a civil suit against the 63-year-old after Manhattan prosecutors dropped their criminal case against him in August 2011, saying they had developed doubts about Diallo's trustworthiness, reports AP.
The case first started after Diallo reported to police that Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex and tried to rape her after she went to clean his room at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan. He said the encounter was consensual.
The settlement comes two weeks after lawyers for Strauss-Kahn dismissed as "flatly false" reports that he had agreed to pay Diallo $6 million.
"The parties have discussed a resolution but there has been no settlement. Mr Strauss-Kahn will continue to defend the charges if no resolution can be reached," the BBC quoted his lawyers as saying.
Diallo has also settled a defamation lawsuit against The New York Post, which reported she was a prostitute, the Washington Post reported.
The terms of the settlement are not expected to be made public because both parties have signed a confidentiality agreement.
Monday's court hearing may resolve the case involving Diallo but Strauss-Kahn is still facing charges of aggravated pimping in France. A court is set to rule on his bid to dismiss those charges next week, reports the UK's Telegraph newspaper.