Strauss-Kahn to settle civil suit with hotel maid: NY Times

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will settle the civil lawsuit brought by the hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her last year, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and Nafissatou Diallo will appear before a judge in New York next week, the Times reported, though the newspaper said one person familiar with the details emphasised that a final agreement has not yet been signed. The amount of money involved in the settlement could not be determined, the Times said.

Lawyers for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The scandal that erupted after Diallo's allegations scuttled Strauss-Kahn's plans to run for president of his native France and forced him to resign his post days after he was arrested and charged with attempted rape, among other crimes.

But the criminal prosecution fell apart after doubts emerged concerning Diallo's credibility as a witness. The Manhattan district attorney's office formally moved to dismiss the indictment in August 2011, and a judge dropped the charges.

The lawsuit, which was filed just weeks before the criminal charges were dropped, accused Strauss-Kahn of a "brutal" assault and sought unspecified damages. But Strauss-Kahn has maintained that the sexual encounter was consensual.

Strauss-Kahn filed his own countersuit against the maid earlier this year, claiming Diallo's accusations destroyed his career and harmed his reputation.

Diallo alleged Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex on May 14, 2011, in his luxury suite at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan.

Strauss-Kahn's legal troubles have persisted since his return to France, where authorities have investigated his possible involvement in a prostitution ring that included sex parties he attended in France and in Washington, D.C.

In recent months, he has attempted a political comeback on the international speaking circuit.