French woman may file Strauss-Kahn assault complaint

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

May 16 (Reuters) - A French lawyer said on Monday his client was considering filing a legal complaint against IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn over an alleged sexual assault on her almost a decade ago.

Lawyer David Koubbi said his client Tristane Banon, a writer, may file a complaint over an alleged incident that took place when she went to interview Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, in an apartment.

"We are considering filing a complaint," Koubbi said in a text message to Reuters.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/strausskahn-complaint-idUSLDE74F0V020110516

[DonCoquixote]

1. The internet may be full of crap

But things like this convince me that the information age is a boon. If it were not for the new media's ability to pounce on a story, find it, and not let go, crimes like this would NEVER see the light of day.

Of course, his choice of victim shows a serious amount of hubris; he attacked a WRITER, someone who knows how to get information to a source, someone who knows how to express herself. Then again, that must be a job requirement for the IMF.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. You think this woman only heard about the New York charge via 'new media'?

No, this would have happened exactly the same way without the internet. The French newspapers are saturated with the story; and it has been reported to you by Reuters, a news agency that has been going for 150 years or so - when they were founded, 'new media' meant the telegraph. The only difference is that you've seen the report now, rather than in tomorrow's newspaper. As for the writer knowing how to get information to a source - she contacted a lawyer, who contacted the media. There's nothing special about that. That could have happened 150 years ago as well.

[DonCoquixote]

9. You forget

It might have hit the La Monde, but the internet will keep the story alive, long after print sources have been "convinced" to bury it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. It is amazing how I forget things that haven't happened yet

Maybe I have a faulty memory. :shrug:

[Jeneral2885]

2. I wonder if it's a trend for IFI heads

Wolfowitz now Strauss-Kahn.

Bob Zoellick--is is clean?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. She is the goddaughter of his second wife; DSK's name was bleeped out in a 2007 TV interview

and her mother, in the Socialist Party, advised her to keep quiet about it, 9 years ago.

A local official of the Socialist party claimed that Strauss-Kahn had attacked her daughter, who is goddaughter to Strauss-Kahn's second wife, in 2002.

Tristane Banon was in her 20s and writing a book when she approached Strauss-Kahn for an interview in 2002. In a TV programme in 2007, in which Strauss-Kahn's name had been bleeped out, Banon allegedly described him as a "rutting chimpanzee" and described how she was forced to fight him off. "It finished badly … very violently … I kicked him," Banon said. "When we were fighting, I mentioned the word 'rape' to make him afraid, but it didn't have any effect. I managed to get out."

Banon consulted a lawyer, but did not press charges. "I didn't want to be known to the end of my days as the girl who had a problem with the politician."

Banon's mother, Anne Mansouret, told journalists on Sunday night she had dissuaded her daughter from legal action because she believed Strauss-Kahn's behaviour had been out of character and because of close links with his family. "Today I am sorry to have discouraged my daughter from complaining. I bear a heavy responsibility," she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/dominique-strauss-kahn-tristane-banon

That's very interesting. Very bad to have not gone public, I think - but there's a record of the accusation from some time ago, so it's clearly not just jumping on the bandwagon.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Link to the TV programme - this says broadcast last year

A Guardian article from Friday (ie before the New York incident) - which thought his past wouldn't affect his chances in the election:

Is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, current head of the International Monetary Fund, a "queutard" – literally, a man who makes extensive use of his intimate parts? In any case, that's a talent for which he won an award last Tuesday at the satirical prize ceremony "Les Gerard" (the French political equivalent to the Razzy awards).
...
That wasn't the only scandal. There was a fuss last year when a young French author, Tristane Banon, described her encounter with him. She explained that she had interviewed him for a book about public figures and their missteps, and claimed she had to fight him off physically. She said she hadn't made a complaint at the time, because she didn't want to be "the girl who had a problem with a politician".

This side of DSK's life has almost become folklore in France. In 2009, humourist Stéphane Guillon even dedicated his comedy slot on the popular morning radio show La Matinale de France Inter (the French equivalent for Radio 4) to this particular side of the politician: "Exceptional measures have been taken at Radio France in order not to awaken the Beast. Here are the measures, as detailed by the trade unions. I quote: 'In order to guarantee the safety of the personnel, female workers are asked to wear long, unrevealing and anti-sex clothes'." This made Guillon famous, and almost got him fired. Unsurprisingly, DSK was not amused and expressed it bluntly when he entered the studio 20 minutes later.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/13/french-women-scandal-politics

It's a 'dinner party' TV programme, rather than an interview. In French, of course, and far too fast for me to follow, I'm afraid.

[Ghost Dog]

6. Would it be relevant to consider all the women there must be out there

who presumably have no reason to complain about their presumable encounters with DSK?

The guy has a self-acknowledged reputation as a 'womanizer', or serial seducer, or 'charming', 'gallant', or even sex-addict if you prefer, so the man has likely enjoyed a, um, plentiful sex-life...

The Socialist Party had lost the candidate 'best placed to beat (President) Nicolas Sarkozy,' according to Liberation, for whom the finance minister, who told the paper his weak points were 'money, women and my Jewishness' was 'his own most dangerous enemy.' - http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1639407.php/DSK-Out-French-media-write-Strauss-Kahn-s-political-obituary

... of a kind that, in February 2009, was described by Agnès Poiriet in the Guardian thus:

Let us be clear though. It has been proven by an independent American consultant that DSK didn't treat his lover better than any other employees at the IMF: she didn't receive a pay rise or promotion as a result of her affair with the boss and didn't leave the IMF under any pressure. The EBRD in London, a former employer, had offered her a job. In other words, DSK didn't do a Wolfowitz. I'd go as far as saying that DSK will never have to do a Wolfowitz. The man is a womaniser of great charisma, intelligence and charm. It may elude the Anglo-Saxon mentality, but one may want to have an affair with his or her assistant/colleague/employee/teacher/professor/student/boss and they with you for just the pleasure of it. This may be highly unprofessional and in most cases stupid, but if all parties are consenting and 18+, there is certainly nothing sinister in a passade(*). Americans sometimes have difficulty with the concept of pleasure and desire as gratuitous and healthy impulses. François Truffaut's film, The Man Who Loved Women, gives a good introduction to this side of French culture (see an extract here).

Let us not forget either that DSK has many political enemies in Washington who hoped his careless womanising would be the end of him. As Richard Adams wrote: "DSK is not popular with some of the fund's executive directors, including the US, for his desire to make the IMF a more progressive place, particularly his desire to dilute practices such as 'conditionality' – the quid pro quo conditions imposed on those countries, most often the world's poorest, to which it gives assistance." - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/25/dominique-strauss-kahn-imf

... so there likely would have been many cases where this man's behavior was considered entirely appropriate and satisfactory by all concerned.

Which makes these presumably exceptional cases of complaint appear rather odd. :shrug:

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. No, it wouldn't; this is about forced sex, not consensual sex

That someone has had consensual sex on many occasions does not, in any way, dilute the seriousness of 2 accusations of forced sex.

Welsh joke:

Jones was in the pub, complaining about the unfairness of life. "It's not right. Evans is a postman; he's always Evans the Post. Davies is a butcher - he's Davies the Butcher. I've been a baker 35 years, and just one lousy time, and suddenly I'm Jones the Sheep-Shagger???"

[Ghost Dog]

18. It is about [u]alleged[/u] attempted sexual assault,

from what I understand the charges, and this data is context.

It's a context that, as the man's own wife has said, makes him a rather unlikely rapist, many think.

I think it's also about 'trial-by-media', btw.

[LisaL]

19. I am not exactly sure as to what "many think."

"Strauss-Kahn's alleged womanising appears to have been an open secret in French political circles for years. Thierry Saussez, a former adviser to Sarkozy, who took part in the TV show with Banon, said: "All this stupefaction from people is sheer hypocrisy. Everyone in Paris has known for years he had something of a problem. Not many female journalists are prepared to interview him alone these days.""

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/dominique-strauss-kahn-tristane-banon

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Tell me how his extensive sex life is 'data' for an accusation for attempted rape

You really think any defence lawyer would try saying "he has a lot of sex with different women, therefore it's unlikely he'd try to rape someone"? He'd be laughed out of court.

I don't know why you feel it necessary to underline 'alleged'. I said 'accusation' in my post.

As far as 'trial by media' goes, that's fairly standard in the US. They always give out more details of a case than would be allowed in the UK, anyway.

[Ghost Dog]

22. Because behavioral profiling is apparently used by investigators of rape,

see eg. http://budokan.wcart.net/WomenSelfDefense/RapistProfile.htm . Where does DSK fit?

'Trial by media' and the suspension of any presumption of innocence before proper legal trial and verdict (except, of course, in cases involving certain 'select' politicians, financiers and associates) certainly appears to be fairly standard in the US. Given the lamentable professional, moral and ethical standards of the US MSM these days this stinks, imho.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Profiling is for when you need to find the suspect, and you want to increase your chances

You don't use it to say "this man, who has been positively identified from the first report of the rape, isn't the stereotypical rapist, therefore it's unlikely he did it".

But, since you ask about where DSK fits:

The perpetrators of date or acquaintance rape do not fit an easily recognized profile. These types of rapists do share some similar characteristics though:

a propensity toward violence in problem-solving

Banon allegedly described him as a "rutting chimpanzee" and described how she was forced to fight him off. "When we were fighting, I mentioned the word 'rape' to make him afraid, but it didn't have any effect."

aggressiveness in intimate relationships

Aurélie Filipetti, a Socialist MP, told Le Temps that she had once been the object of a "very heavy-handed flirt" by DSK. "I made sure I was not alone with him in a closed room," she said.

being overly demanding of partners

Mrs Piroska Nagy later declared: "I believe that man has a problem."

Really, you think his past points to it being unlikely he could have tried to force sex?

[RZM]

33. LOL. I've heard that joke with 'John the Scotsman' as the subject n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

35. Works better with the Welsh

because they really were known as 'Jones the Post' etc., because there are relatively few Welsh surnames (forced on them by English rule, and so most are patronymics that became permanent - 'Jones'='son of John','Williams'='son of William' etc.), and most sheep jokes in England are told about the Welsh, not the Scottish.

[RZM]

38. Makes sense. A German told it to me so that might account for the difference :) n/t

[GetRidOfThem]

7. The normally eggheaded dryness of my profession...

... made me come up with this one-liner some time ago: "Two economists walk into a bar..." End of joke. This IS the joke.

I must now amend this one-liner to

"An economist steps out of a bathroom..."

[Odin2005]

8. I smell a rat.

Make a bunch of false accusations to make the cleaning lady he raped look like a liar? *tinfoil*

[DonCoquixote]

10. I agree

Rich White males do NOT get punished for Rape, period.

[LisaL]

12. Tell it to Andrew Luster.

[DonCoquixote]

21. and who brought him to justice

NOT the Mexican police
not the FBI
not Interpol

but A friggin bounty hunter that almost went to jail for doing just that.

[LisaL]

43. He was convicted by a jury and sentenced to a long prison term,

despite your claims that rich white men don't get punished for rape.

[DonCoquixote]

44. and who arrested him

if it was not for a bounty hunter that broke the law, Luster would be still be in Mexico, living the high life.

[LisaL]

11. Nonsense.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Despite the fact she made this accusation at least 1 year ago?

You're not thinking this through. Remove the tinfoil.

[LisaL]

16. She made the allegation publically in 2007 during a tv interview.

His name was bleeped out.

[Odin2005]

25. DOH, I'm an idiot. That's what I get for not reading the article!

[riverwalker]

17. Second rape victim: he was a "rutting chimpanzee"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/dominique-strauss-kahn-tristane-banon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387621/Tristane-Banon-says-raped-IMF-chief-Dominique-Strauss-Kahn.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[NashVegas]

24. A Womanizer Isn't Someone Who Merely Sleeps Around a Lot

A womanizer is someone who uses women - who they're sleeping with or not - to get what they want in a variety of ways.

She may be someone who will be nothing more than a notch on his bedpost, sexually, but she may also help him achieve something in his career or some other scenario where he wants to add to his power.

Women who won't win them any bragging rights are left on a string. Think of James Bond and Miss Moneypenny.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

26. French politician: IMF head attacked my daughter in 2002

Source: cnn

Paris -- A French politician said Monday that International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is facing sexual assault charges in New York, attacked her daughter in 2002.

Anne Mansouret, a member of parliament for the Socialist Party, said she cautioned her daughter, Tristane Banon, not to file a police report at the time, saying it might adversely impact her career. At the time, Banon was an aspiring journalist.

Strauss-Kahn was never charged. However, in light of the charges against Strauss-Kahn after an alleged incident at a Softel hotel in New York on Saturday, Banon's attorney in France, David Koubbi, said he and the young woman are considering whether to file a complaint.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/16/france.imf.2002.allegation/index.html

[Nye Bevan]

27. Wow. This guy is just a monster (nt)

[SoapBox]

28. This guy is really a creep.

...time to neuter him and lock him up.

He'll have to find a husband in prison.

[aquart]

29. Like I said, it's a serial crime.

You don't start this stuff at 62 unless your brain is going blooey.

So now we have the first confirmation he's done it before. I have to assume that there are women who signed non-disclosure agreements so we won't hear from them. But who knows.

And I'm left with my last questions: if he was known to make this kind of mess, who was it known to, and why was there no one with him to cover it up?

[Renew Deal]

30. I had a feeling this wouldn't be an isolated incident.

[cosmicone]

31. He had enough money to pay for sex ...

why did he have to attack women?

[shanti]

32. because that's what rapists do

:(

[formercia]

34. Power Trip

Imposing one's will on another without their consent.

Perhaps he just likes to hear women plead and scream in pain.

[Mz Pip]

36. My guess is that he's probably used

to getting his way without a fight. Guys in positions of power are often used to getting what they want.

[cosmicone]

37. He is a sicko then n/t

[Zorra]

39. Isn't that special. Let an alleged pervert go free so he can assault

more women? Someone that tried to rape your daughter? Gosh, mom, what are you thinking?

Is Mansouret still running for President of France? The primary is in Sept., I believe.

I would never vote for her after she did something like this.

[fedsron2us]

40. Lets not bother with a trial shall we ?

Due process of law is just so old fashioned

[Nye Bevan]

41. Which DUer said not to bother with a trial? (nt)

[somone]

42. And More: Woman in 2008 Affair Is Said to Have Accused I.M.F. Director of Coercing Her (NYT)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/world/europe/17fund.html

Woman in 2008 Affair Is Said to Have Accused I.M.F. Director of Coercing Her
By LANDON THOMAS Jr.

In the fall of 2007, just as Dominique Strauss-Kahn was starting his job as managing director at the International Monetary Fund, he asked all divisional heads to give him presentations on their specific areas of focus. One briefing was on the fund’s activities in Ghana. The fund’s operations in the small west African country were minimal. But Mr. Strauss-Kahn took a keen interest in the woman making the presentation — Piroska M. Nagy, a blond Hungarian-born economist who was 50 at the time and who had worked at the I.M.F. since 1986....