Stauss-Kahn, NY accuser reach settlement

Dominique Strauss-Kahn agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the hotel maid who accused him of trying to rape her, resolving a legal saga that ended his term as head of the International Monetary Fund and derailed a potential French presidential bid.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon in the Bronx Monday said the two sides have reached an agreement to end the suit, which accused the former IMF head of "violent and deplorable acts" during an encounter at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan.

The suit was filed in August 2011, about three months after Strauss-Kahn, 63, was arrested and charged with attempting to rape the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, and two weeks before the criminal charges were dropped by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Terms of the settlement are confidential, McKeon said in a hearing Monday attended by Diallo, her lawyers and attorneys for Strauss-Kahn. The agreement also resolved a suit by Diallo against the New York Post over a story calling her a prostitute, McKeon said.

The French daily Le Monde reported Nov. 30 that Strauss-Kahn might pay $6 million to settle the suit, borrowing $3 million from his wife, Anne Sinclair, and the rest from a bank. Strauss-Kahn and Sinclair separated this year. His lawyers denied the report. Diallo's attorneys declined to comment.