THE WOMAN WHO accuses ex-International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault sued him yesterday over what she calls a “violent and sadistic” attack in an upscale suite that left her life “in shambles.”

Lawyers for the woman, hotel maid and  Guinean immigrant Nafissatou Diallo, wrote in the lawsuit that Strauss-Kahn “intentionally, brutally and violently sexually assaulted Ms Diallo and in the process humiliated, degraded, violated and robbed Ms Diallo of her dignity as a woman.”

The lawyers, Kenneth Thompson and Douglas Wigdor, said they would tell a jury about other instances when Strauss-Kahn sexually attacked women in hotel rooms and apartments, coerced employees into complying with sexual demands or accosted women with inappropriate sexual remarks and tried to get them to perform sexual acts.

The lawsuit says Strauss-Kahn injured Diallo’s shoulder, bruised her vagina, tore her pantyhose and violently grabbed the back of her head during the attack on May 14 at the Sofitel hotel in midtown Manhattan.

The lawsuit, filed in state court in the Bronx, accuses Strauss-Kahn of acting like a common criminal afterward, fleeing the hotel so quickly that he left behind traces of his semen, along with bloody tissues.

Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn said the maid’s lawsuit has no merit and their client will fight it vigorously.

“We have maintained from the beginning that the motivation of Mr Thompson and his client was to make money,” attorneys William W. Taylor and Benjamin Brafman said.

Strauss-Kahn has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted rape and other crimes. He resigned his IMF post after his arrest. He was freed from house arrest last month after prosecutors said publicly that they had discovered facts that cast doubt on his 32-year-old accuser’s credibility.

Strauss-Kahn, who isn’t permitted to leave the United States, is due back in criminal court August 23.

-AP