Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Next Court Date Has Been Postponed

By DNAinfo Staff on July 11, 2011 6:10pm  | Updated on July 11, 2011 6:56pm

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — The next court date in the sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been postponed by two weeks to allow prosecutors more time to further investigate the troubled case, court officials said Monday. 

The 62-year-old former head of the International Monetary Fund was supposed to appear in Manhattan Supreme Court on July 18 for a much-anticipated court hearing following his release from house arrest July 1 amid growing concern about his accuser's credibility. That court date has now pushed back to Aug. 1, prosecutors said.

Strauss-Kahn was arrested on a Paris-bound jet at JFK May 14 and thrown into Rikers jail after a maid from the Sofitel Hotel where he had been staying claimed he tried rape her.

But the woman's claim was called into question after prosecutors revealed she allegedly lied about her immigration background, cheated on her taxes and changed her version of events about what happened after the purported attack by a man considered by many to be among the front-runners for France's next presidential campaign.

After the revelations, Strauss-Kahn was released from $6 million bail house arrest and his lawyers said they would work to ensure that all charges against him were dropped.

The DA's office said Monday that the decision on whether to proceed with the case has not been made yet.

"The investigation into this case is continuing. No decisions have been made," the Manhattan District Attorney's office spokeswoman Erin Duggan said in a statement Monday.

A letter filed with the court said that both sides consented the adjournment.

Last week, Strauss-Kahn's lawyers met with the DA's office in what they described as a "constructive" discussion, without elaborating further.

Strauss-Kahn was indicted on charges of attempted rape, criminal sex act, and other charges for the alleged May 14 attack.

An attorney for the accuser, Kenneth Thompson, who has been critical of the DA's handling of his client and the case, said Monday, "At the end of its investigation, we expect the District Attorney's Office to stand by the victim and take her case to trial.  Justice requires no less."