Strauss-Kahn accuser mulls dropping case for money: report

[The Northerner]

(Reuters) - Lawyers for the woman who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault have explored a deal in which they would scuttle the criminal case in exchange for a monetary settlement in the civil lawsuit, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The woman's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, strongly denied the report, which the Journal sourced to unidentified people briefed on the matter.

The report comes ahead of Tuesday's scheduled court hearing in which Strauss-Kahn, once seen as a leading contender to be the next president of France, was due to appear before a judge for the first time since he was freed from house arrest on July 1.

Nafissatou Diallo, the hotel maid who has alleged Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her on May 14, filed a civil claim against him last week in New York while the separate criminal case was languishing.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office appeared to be close to dropping charges after revealing that Diallo, a 32-year-old immigrant from Guinea, had fabricated a story about being gang-raped in her application for U.S. asylum. That and other misstatements undermined her credibility, endangering the case, but charges against Strauss-Kahn remain in place. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/19/us-strausskahn-idUSTRE77I61G20110819