French Novelist to Sue Strauss-Kahn

An alleged incident from nine years ago could come back to haunt the former French finance minister.

While a sexual assault case against former International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn might be disintegrating in the U.S., a brand new lawsuit awaits him back home in France. Lawyers for novelist Tristane Banon said she will file a suit against Strauss-Kahn tomorrow for an incident in 2002 in which she alleges he attempted to rape her. Banon has said that her mother, a Socialist party member, had discouraged her from pursuing the case at the time due to the damage it would have inflicted on the party. Banon's lawyers had said they wanted to wait until the U.S. case was over before pursuing their lawsuit. Strauss-Kahn has been released without bail as the prosecution's case against him has unravelled due to serious concerns over the victim's honesty.