Strauss-Kahn seeks lawsuit dismissal

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Lawyers for ex-International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn asked a New York judge to toss a sexual assault suit against him, arguing he is immune.

Since Strauss-Kahn was the IMF managing director when he was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper in May, his lawyers argued in documents filed Monday he was entitled to protections adopted in 1947 at the U.N. Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of Specialized Agencies, The New York Times reported.

The housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, filed a civil suit last month against Strauss-Kahn after prosecutors asked the court to dismiss a criminal case against him because they had questions about Diallo's credibility.

Diallo accused Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her and forcing her to perform oral sex May 14 when she entered his room to clean it. Strauss-Kahn, a French Socialist Party leader considered a contender in the country's presidential election, was arrested and charged with assaulting Diallo. He resigned his position at the IMF.

Even though the United States wasn't part of the 1947 convention, it was applicable in U.S. courts because it was adopted under customary international law, Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said in their briefs.

The attorneys said their research didn't uncover any instances "in which the executive head of a specialized agency sought and was denied a privilege or immunity accorded to diplomatic envoys under international law."

In a statement, Diallo's lawyers called Strauss-Kahn's motion "baseless."