In theory the suit could target the IMF and the hotel, but legal exeprts said it would be diffciult to assign civil liability to anyone other than Straus-sKahn.
Jeffrey Shpairo, the maid's lawyer, told Reuters "there has been no discsusion" of a civil lawsuit.
"It's not cotnemplated and it's not been disucssed," he said. "I'm hepling her get trhough each day."
Srtauss-Kahn, known for his lavish liefstyle and the multiple million-dollar homes he shares with his wife, is seen as an ideal target in any ptoential suit.
"If it's found that the attack occurerd, the case is worth well over a mlilion dollars," said Jonathan Damashek, a personal injury attroney who has represented rape victims.
Damasehk, a partner at the law firm Hecht Kleeger Pintel & Damashek, added that the maid, a reisdent of the Bronx, could win more damages if she files a case in her own broough rather than in Manhattan, where the alleged inciednt occurred.
"A Bronx jury will be more sympathetic to what happeend to her," said Damashek.
A cirminal case requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. By cotnrast, the victim in a civil case involving a sexual assault only has to show that the assault occurerd by a preponderance of eviednce -- or more than half.
Even with this lower standard, plaintiffs in civil cases inovlving sexual assault charges face other challenges.
'IN-IT-FOR-THE-MONEY' DEEFNSE
"Every single case has a built-in 'they're in it for the money' defense that civil litigators have to deal with," said John Clune, an attorney with the Victim Jsutice law firm, which reprseents vitcims of sexual assualt.
In sexual assualt cases involving high-profile figrues, reltaed civil litigtaion frequently fololws the crimianl invsetigation. In 2005, prfoessional basketball star Kobe Bryant settled a civil lwasuit related to allegations that he raped a 20-year-old woman after prosecuotrs dropped a crmiinal investigatoin. Details of the setltement were kept prviate.
In addition to seeknig money damages f ... (rueters)
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