By REUTERS
NEW YORK - A New York judge on Tuesday rejected a motion by former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, allowing the suit to go forward.Bronx Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon rejected Strauss-Kahn's argument that he enjoyed diplomatic immunity at the time of the May 14 encounter with Nafissatou Diallo, a maid at the Sofitel Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Diallo accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex, while Strauss-Kahn has said the incident was consensual.Calling it a "Hail Mary" attempt to secure immunity from prosecution, McKeon ruled that Strauss-Kahn's voluntary resignation from his post days after his arrest on criminal charges put an end to any immunity he might have enjoyed.The scandal, which made headlines around the world, scuttled Strauss-Kahn's expected bid for the French presidency.
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