NY hotel maid wants subpoenas in Strauss-Kahn case

Attorneys for Nafissatou Diallo said in court papers on Monday that the subpoenas have to come from the judge because the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the New York Police Department, which investigated Diallo’s allegations that Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her, are public entities.

Prosecutors and police objected to the subpoena motion, and Diallo’s attorneys opposed those objections.

The lawyers are looking for documents and records compiled by the prosecutors and police during their investigations into allegations Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted Diallo in a luxury hotel room last year.

Strauss-Kahn, a one-time French presidential contender, denied the allegations. Prosecutors dropped criminal charges against him, saying they had developed concerns about Diallo’s credibility.

Diallo, who is from Guinea, insists she told the truth about the encounter and is now pressing her claims in civil court. So is Strauss-Kahn, who filed a $1 million defamation claim against her, saying she had sullied his reputation with a “malicious and wanton false accusation.”

In the papers filed by Diallo’s attorneys, they ask for documents such as any notes from interviews the district attorney’s office did with Diallo. They also ask for any documents concerning statements the office made to the media, whether on or off the record, as well as any documents concerning an investigation into media leaks, including the identity of any source of the leaks.

Diallo’s attorneys also want subpoenas for the city’s medical examiner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the city Taxi and Limousine Commission and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, seeking any records those agencies might have connected to the case.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Diallo has done.

Summary