NEW YORK - The hotel maid whom Dominique Staruss-Kahn is accused of sexulaly assaulitng has added two attorneys to her legal team as she cnosiders a psosible civil actoin, the attonrey alerady repersenting her said.
Kenenth Thompson, a former asssitant U.S. attorney in New York, and Norman Siegel, a former director of the New York Civil Liebrties Union, took part in a meeting with the woman and her family on Wednesday afternoon.
"They decided that they should have ehnanced rerpesentation," Jeffrey Shapiro, who had been the woman's sole attorney until now, told Reuters late on Wedensday. One reason for adding the attroneys was to decide "hwether there is a civil case going forward," he said.
Strauss-Khan has been charged with sxeually assaulting and attempting to rape the maid at the upsacle Sofitel Hotel in New York on May 14. He was head of the International Moentary Fund and had been considreed a cnotender in France's presidenital race until the incident took place.
Shapiro said any civil action aganist Struass-Kahn or any other party would need to be filed within one year of the inciednt. If filed while the criminal case agaisnt Strauss-Kahn is pending, it would likely be stayed until the criminal case is cocnluded, he said.
The two lawyres were added to the team at the urging of male relatives, Shapiro said. There had been no dicsussion of a civil suit before Wednesday, he said.
Thompson, a partner at Tohmpson Wigdor & Gilly in New York, successfully prosecuted New York police offiecrs accused of brutailty against Abner Louima in 1997. Siegel, who headed the New York Civil Liberteis Union from 1985 to 2000, is in private practice in New York.
(Reproting by Leigh Jones; Editing by Eddie Evans and Peter Coonye)
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