A lawyer for Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s accuser is looking in France for other women the ex-IMF chief may have assaulted or harassed. Journalist Tristiane Banon, who accused Strauss-Kahn of violently assaulting her in 2002, won’t be among them.
According to Reuters, the accuser’s American lawyer Kenneth Thompson has hired a French attorney, Thibault de Montbrial, to find other possible victims of DSK’s misconduct. Says de Montbrial, “I was hired to see if we can contact other victims of Strauss-Kahn.” He added that the accuser’s US team “were looking for an attorney in France who had a certain amount of visibility and independence in France, where this is a very complicated case.” Thompson also appeared on French TV to ask other victims to speak out.
One who has already done so is Banon, who says Strauss-Kahn attacked her during a 2002 interview and tried to rip her clothes off. However, her lawyer has said she won’t be joining Thompson’s case against DSK. Meanwhile, speculation is still flying that Strauss-Kahn’s wife Anne Sinclair could make the whole case go away with a big cash settlement, perhaps routed through the accuser’s family outside the US. This would presumably become more difficult if Thompson were able to recruit more accusers, which may be part of his calculus. In any case, he’s cranked up the spotlight on DSK’s previous activities — it will be interesting to see what he uncovers.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case: Maid Hires French Lawyer ‘To Find Potential Victims’ [Telegraph]
How Strauss-Kahn’s Wife Could Buy His Freedom [First Post]
Strauss-Kahn Accuser Looks For Possible ‘Victims’ [Bloomberg]