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FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AP

Strauss-Kahn claims diplomatic immunity from Diallo civil suit

Dominique Strauss-Kahn says his diplomatic immunity only ended when he left the US – so he can’t be sued by a hotel maid.

DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN has asked a New York court to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by the hotel maid who says he sexually assaulted her, claiming he enjoyed diplomatic immunity at the time of the complaint.

Attorneys for the former IMF head filed the motion in a Bronx court, arguing judges there do not have the ability to try the case, because Strauss-Kahn’s time as head of the fund gives him immunity from the litigation.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was initially charged with attempted rape and held under pricey house arrest after the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, said he attacked her in his hotel suite May 14 and forced her to perform oral sex.

The case was eventually dismissed when prosecutors said they had lost faith in Diallo’s credibility after a series of lies she told them unrelated to the assault allegations.

Attorneys for Diallo, who came forward publicly in a series of interviews, filed the lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn in the Bronx on August 8 while the criminal case was still active. It recounted in graphic detail the woman’s version of the encounter but did not ask for specific damages.

The documents filed argue that Strauss-Kahn should be immune under international law even though he had already resigned his post as head of the IMF when the lawsuit was filed.

His immunity stood until he left the country, shortly after his case was dismissed, his lawyers argued.

‘DIPLOMATIC’

Strauss-Kahn’s travel documents are stamped “DIPLOMATIC” in bright red lettering and are signed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The documents recite in six languages that the bearer is entitled to international immunities, according to the court documents.

His attorneys, William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman, also filed a motion to delete paragraphs in Diallo’s lawsuit that detail the encounter as fact from her perspective.

There is a lower burden of proof in civil cases, and it is possible that Strauss-Kahn would have to testify if it went to trial.

Strauss-Kahn recently spoke about the incident at the Sofitel Hotel in an interview broadcast on French television, calling the encounter a “moral failing”, but saying it “did not involve violence, constraint or aggression.”

The 32-year-old Guinean immigrant maintains Strauss-Kahn attacked her. Her attorney, Kenneth Thompson, said yesterday the diplomatic immunity claim would fail because he is not an official diplomat and was on “personal” business when the incident occurred.

“This baseless motion is another desperate attempt to avoid having to answer for the deplorable acts he committed against Ms Diallo,” Thompson said.

A French writer has accused Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her in 2003. The two have been ordered to appear before a judge in Paris to tell their stories as part of an investigation into the case. No date for the so-called face-off has been set.

Strauss-Kahn set for face-to-face meeting with rape accuser >

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    Mute George Beckett
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:02 PM

    One word says it all. American.

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    Mute Etherman
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:28 PM

    @George Beckett: Irony

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jul 16th 2017, 1:23 AM

    @George Beckett: the Trump effect white people are superior than people who have different colour skin. It’s just Stone Age now. Thankfully the US justice system is still working. Just.

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    Mute Virtual Architect
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    Jul 16th 2017, 2:56 AM

    @Deborah Behan: One swallow doesn’t make a summer. It’s trendy to make headlines when white people are being racist and frowned upon to mention other races being racist. But carry on.

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    Mute Ian Walsh
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    Jul 16th 2017, 3:23 AM

    @Virtual Architect: Do you have any examples of your tripe?

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:52 PM

    @Deborah Behan:
    I think the problem was that Indians have a reputation for living ten to a room. I suspect that’s what he was thinking. He was foolish to put it down on paper, though.
    As to making him attend that course, what a load of garbage. The day is coming when Irish people will be obliged to attend such courses in Afro or Asian or Islamic Studies. A few years back a lot of employers were employing ‘diversity trainers’ (Guess what, they were Africans) though one sees less of that nonsense recently. I’d sooner spend a week in ISIS controlled Syria rather than attend such a course.

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    Mute A H
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    Jul 15th 2017, 9:04 PM

    I’d say it was a typo and Aslan were trying to stay at her gaf.

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    Mute Fitty Piper
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:04 PM

    Of any race Asians are generally the most easy going meticulously clean and least hell raising folk out there, almost always the perfect guests. What a weird person ms barker is.

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    Mute Tony Gordon
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:11 PM

    @Fitty Piper: So lets swap one sweeping generalisation for another!!

    Asian doesn’t mean your any particular type of person, it just means you have Asian origins.

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    Mute John O'Shea
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:19 PM

    @Tony Gordon: I think most people automatically think China when you say Asians. They forget Asia is the biggest continent and probably contains the most diverse population on any continent.

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    Mute Noel James Doherty
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    Jul 15th 2017, 9:17 PM

    @John O’Shea well said John, here, are you still with Sunderland?

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    Mute Chilli
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    Jul 15th 2017, 9:36 PM

    @Fitty Piper: I’ve never heard people refer to Pakistani or Indians as meticulously clean

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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    Jul 15th 2017, 11:47 PM

    @Chilli: what about Koreans, they’re supposed to be hell raisers

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:53 PM

    @Fitty Piper:
    “Meticulously clean”?????
    I see you’ve never been in India.
    I have. Say no more.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:58 PM

    @John O’Shea:
    That’s wrong. Ireland contains the most diverse population. There are well over a hundred nationalities represented among the settlers here on one small island

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    Mute Captain kirk
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:39 PM

    Why is this even more a story? The journal is running out of anti Airbnb stories.

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    Mute Zx5vZulB
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    Jul 16th 2017, 8:02 AM

    With all due respect to everyone involved in this minor incident, how on earth does this tiny vignette of western life constitute relevant news content for the Irish public at large? Its a piece of fluff story even if you live in america, why would anyone in ireland have the remotest interest in the views of 1 delinquent american? Weirdness to publish this fluff as a news story imo

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    Mute Sean
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    Jul 15th 2017, 8:39 PM

    Explicit racism like this is easy to tackle with legislation and penalties. It’s the more subtler forms that the perpetrator themselves sometimes isn’t aware of that are more problematic for society.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:54 PM

    @Sean:
    more subtler …
    That’s been bad English grammar for hundreds of years, though you will find it in Shakespeare.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:11 PM

    I like Asian people.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:12 PM

    @Free comment ratings: that’s not to say I don’t like African or Americans. I like all people male or female.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Free comment ratings: and I’m not suggesting everyone identifies as male or female. I just saying I like people – humans if you will.

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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:14 PM

    @Free comment ratings: I’m also partial to animals not just humans in case anyone/person/being thinks that.

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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:16 PM

    @Free comment ratings: it’s difficult in this PC world.

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    Mute Etherman
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:18 PM

    @Free comment ratings: plants? What about fungi?

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:21 PM

    @Etherman: Apologies. Of course they are all beautiful in their own way.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:22 PM

    @Free comment ratings: Do we even need the word ugly anymore?

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    Mute Michael Farrelly
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    Jul 15th 2017, 10:10 PM

    One word – Trump

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:56 PM

    @Michael Farrelly:
    Nonsense. Trump runs luxury hotels, not BnBs. Silly post.

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    Mute Mark DeFriest
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    Jul 15th 2017, 9:26 PM

    One word:
    Airbnb.

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    Mute Andy K
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    Jul 16th 2017, 8:34 AM

    Never mind the crime, the sentence was great. Educate the person.

    We should have the same. You were drunk driving? Well, penalty points and one course in safe driving with a required 70% pass rate. You were claiming welfare illegally? Fines plus a course in how society works etc.

    Every time they make a crime they learn from it. Forcefully.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Jul 17th 2017, 9:55 PM

    @Andy K:
    How would you set up the welfare cheat course for cheats who don’t speak English?
    A dozen different classes?

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    Mute Minom Pnom
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    Jul 16th 2017, 12:52 PM

    Air b n b is a pox of charges. Booking outside the currency on your card? Air b n b will hit you with another 4% unavoidable currency ripoff on the currency on top of the 15% already high renter charges. Take a screenshot of the room, crop it and use Google image search to find the property on a property site with no renter charges. Many properties are listed on other sites.

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