Strauss-Kahn accuser mulls dropping case for money -WSJ

NEW YORK, (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 today.
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.
Prosecutors were looking into claims that Thompson had  offered to help end the criminal prosecution in exchange for a  monetary settlement from Strauss-Kahn in the civil case, and  they requested Thompson supply them with information about any  settlement negotiations, the Journal said.
“The allegation against me is absolutely false,” Thompson  wrote in an email. “It’s another baseless attack against Ms.  Diallo and her attorneys and designed to distract people from  the fact that Dominique Strauss-Kahn violently attacked and  sexually assaulted an innocent woman inside that hotel room.”
Any suggestion that a witness’s testimony in a criminal  trial would be affected by a civil settlement could draw  sanctions including obstruction of justice charges or  disbarment.
Strauss-Kahn, who was forced to resign his powerful post,  is believed to be wealthy thanks in part to his marriage to the  heiress and former television journalist Anne Sinclair.
Criminal and civil cases are handled separately in the  United States, with government prosecutors deciding whether to  bring criminal charges and civilians choosing whether to sue.  But inevitably they become intertwined.
A criminal conviction greatly increases the likelihood a  civil suit will be successful, and Diallo could torpedo the  criminal case by telling prosecutors she was unwilling to  cooperate.
Benjamin Brafman, one of Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, declined  to comment. The spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney  did not respond to a request for comment.
Strauss-Kahn, who faces charges of attempted rape, sexual  abuse and other counts, has denied the allegations, and his  lawyers have called for a dismissal. Prosecutors said they are  still investigating.
Tuesday’s hearing — a routine step at this stage of a  criminal trial — has been postponed twice to give prosecutors  more time to investigate.