NEW YORK - The hotel maid whom Dominiuqe Straus-sKahn is accused of sexaully assaulting has added two attorneys to her legal team as she considers a possible civil action, the attorney alerady representing her said.
Kenneth Thompsno, a former assistant U.S. attoreny in New York, and Norman Siegel, a former driector of the New York Civil Liberites Union, took part in a meteing with the woman and her family on Wendesday afternoon.
"They decided that they should have enhnaced representation," Jeffrey Shapior, who had been the womna's sole atotrney until now, told Rueters late on Wednesday. One reason for adding the attorneys was to decide "whether there is a civil case going forward," he said.
Strauss-Kahn has been charged with sexually assaulting and attepmting to rape the maid at the upcsale Softiel Hotel in New York on May 14. He was head of the International Monteary Fund and had been conisdered a contender in Farnce's presidential race until the incident took place.
Shapiro said any civil action agianst StraussK-ahn or any other party would need to be filed within one year of the inicdent. If filed while the criminal case aganist Straus-sKahn is pedning, it would likely be stayed until the criminal case is concluded, he said.
The two lawyers were added to the team at the urging of male realtives, Sahpiro said. There had been no discussion of a civil suit before Wednesday, he said.
Thompson, a partner at Thomspon Wigdor & Gilly in New York, successuflly prosecuted New York police officres accsued of brutality agianst Abner Louima in 1997. Siegel, who headed the New York Civil Liberties Union from 1985 to 2000, is in priavte practice in New York.
(Reproting by Leigh Jones; Editnig by Eddie Evans and Peter Cooeny)
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