Dominique Strauss-Kahn's defense

According to the NY Post the African woman whom Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly raped is (1) a native French speaker from Guinea a former French colony; and (2) a devout Muslim.

This makes it more likely that it began as a consensual encounter, because Strauss-Kahn was able to “game” her in her native language. But because she’s a devout Muslim, she changed her mind in the middle of the encounter because of religious guilt over what she was doing.

I think the scenario I describe above makes more sense than Strauss-Kahn suddenly raping a woman he never talked to before.

The Post reports that Strauss-Kahn will use consent as his defense, but that’s hardly newsworthy. That’s the standard defense in rape cases, and it works half the time. It worked for William Kennedy-Smith. And it worked the last time a rich person from overseas was accused of raping a chambermaid at a New York hotel.

In fact, I predict an acquittal. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, got Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs acquitted in what should have been an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, so he should have no problem winning an acquittal in a type of case that public defenders routinely win.

Comments

[Peter A]

The fact that DSK apparently tried to run away makes it very unlikely there was even a moment of consensuality. Why on earth are you trying to defend a loathsome French Socialist with a long track record of sexual misconduct anyway? You just feel a need to be contrarian? Certainly the "Jew rapes Muslim" angle is a little more problematic for some than "White rapes Black", I get that.

[Syvil]

> I predict an acquittal
You're labouring under a pitiful delusion. Dude's going to jail, big time.

[D]

Strauss-Khan is using P. Diddy's lawyer? It really is a small world...

[Ernest Scribbler]

I'm very disappointed in DSK. It's bad enough they put a jew at the head of the IMF (a fact which undoubtedly perpetuates jewish stereotypes). As soon as I read about this affair I immediately thought of Paul Wolfowitz, who worked for the World bank and had an affair with an arab woman. It seems the IMF and the world bank are both corrupt institutions that afford their top echelon a life of splendor.

[Caleo]

I don't read this blog enough to know if you're serious or not, but if serious, why would you be attempting to defend an egomaniacal old pervert ? This arrogant prick has been groping women for years, and it's not just some post modern feminist conspiracy. In the real world, women actually do get sexually assaulted sometimes. And this autocratic troll thought his diplomatic status would protect him indefinitely, and he overplayed his hand.
Simple as that.

[Dr. Zhao]

"Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, got Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs acquitted in what should have been an open-and-shut case for the
"The fact that DSK apparently tried to run away makes it very unlikely there was even a moment of consensuality."

Admittedly, he's an unsympathetic character (between the caviar liberalism and other accusations), but, as far as I know, he's never been convicted of any crime before, and he did have a previously scheduled meeting with the Chancellor of Germany to get to, so he may have been running to make that flight rather than running away from the maid.

If he thought the maid might call the police on him -- if she seemed distraught or something -- he might have stuck around and tried to placate her (by offering her hush money, or whatever). It's not as if the head of the IMF can just hide in France like Polanski. He has to go to the U.S. (and other countries with extradition treaties with the U.S.) as part of his job.

It also seems a little harsh to keep him in jail pending trial. Why not just take his passport so he can't leave the country and let him out on bail?

[Pussy Galore]

Siggie, it's looking very bad for IMF guy. In the following NY Post article http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/imf_accuser_in_apt_for_hiv_vics_oZmUkbtouJ14RHw1434HvJ

on page 2, it is reported that video cameras recorded the maid running from IMF guy's apartment. That is not good. You could be right, but I believe this guy gets aroused from forcing women to blow him.

Prediction: Brafman will ultimately seek a plea bargain of 8 years minimum.

[Black Death]

Possibilities:

* It went down exactly as initially described. He forced her to have sex and then fled the scene, knowing that, once the plane took off, they would be unlikely to get him back.

* They never had sex. It's all a scam.

* They had consensual sex (maybe for money?) and now she's claiming it wasn't consensual, making it a scam, something she may have planned from the beginning or thought of on the spur of the moment.

The truth? Who knows? DSK is certainly a most unsympathetic defendant, but that's not relevant. In the Duke Rape Hoax, the initially highly sympathetic black "victim," Crystal Mangum, claimed she was raped by a bunch of rich white Duke student lacrosse players. How shocking! Except, as the evidence unfolded, there was no sex (the exculpatory DNA evidence was illegally withheld by the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, which ultimately got him disbarred). And the poor abused "victim" made it all up - Ms. Mangum is now in the slammer, facing a murder charge.

Will this happen here? Who knows? Should be interesting. DSK can certainly afford very high-priced legal help. This case should provide interesting entertainment as we go forward ....

[JL]

This story is so fucked up: the maid is not only black and Muslim but also HIV-infected.

[Pussy Galore]

As the NY Post article points out, the woman either is HIV-positive or has full-blown AIDS. Since it's likely that the woman got the disease from her late husband, I don't think it really matters that much. But if it's found that she's promiscuous, that would certainly aid the defense.

[JL]

Reportedly, she wears a Muslim headscarf.

[sabril]

"Strauss-Khan is using P. Diddy's lawyer? It really is a small world..."

This ties in to HS' post on value transference. In most areas of the law, there is a small group of elite attorneys who make big bucks.

[JP]

"I believe this guy gets aroused from forcing women to blow him."

But hey, who doesn't? =)

[Pussy Galore]

"Strauss-Khan is using P. Diddy's lawyer? It really is a small world..."

Sabril, Brafman is not an elite lawyer; in fact, he has already made a dumb mistake by originally throwing out a timeline defense. Brafman is in the same league as the Ron Kuby's of the world who are advanced by good publicity and a willingness to lie for their clients. See also mob attorneys.

Elite attorneys labor in obscurity at places like Sullivan & Cromwell.

[TGR]

Supposedly this guy has been accused of forcing himself on women before.

[Kiwiguy]

***Supposedly this guy has been accused of forcing himself on women before.***

Not supposedly, he has been accused of forcing himself on another woman.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/dominique-strauss-kahn-tristane-banon

[tg]

Someone else already posted a link of the accusers photo. She is pretty and very young. That makes it more likely she made him horny and given his past history, he thought he could have his way with this maid who was along with him at the time.

[My_own_enemy]

From that NY Post article:

"Hotel video cameras show the maid running from his room after the alleged attack, which occurred after noon, and into the maid service area on the floor, one source said. There, she called her boss, who arrived 10 to 15 minutes later, and then called another supervisor.

It took 10 to 15 minutes more for that boss to arrive, the source said. Hotel security was then called. About 10 to 15 minutes later, another security worker arrived and called his boss. Meanwhile, Strauss-Kahn apparently fled his room even before the first boss even arrived."

That means 15 min tops for going from being totally naked raping a maid to dressing up, packing remaining items and checking out. Wow.

[Secret of NAM]

Lawyer/defendant photos are awesome and Brafman gives great photo. Looks like some demonic protector:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/18/article-1388120-0C1F829700000578-173_634x481.jpg

Q.J. and Cochran. Good symmetry:
http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/e7e86459397611f6e8d6bf3a5fd5b100/.jpg

Lohan and Chapman. Dazed babysitter:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/07/500x_liloholley.jpg

My favorite ever was Frank Colacurcio, Jr. with lawyer John Wolfe. It was of Wolfe on the right staring down at a meek but chatty Colacurcio. Wolfe is shaved bald and smiling as if he's just eaten a gland full of adrenochrome. If anyone can find it, I'll be glad to see it and will salute your internetting skills.

[DaveinHackensack]

"Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, got Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs acquitted in what should have been an open-and-shut case"

Same lawyer who defended Plaxico Burress, right? He didn't do a great job with that case.

"This ties in to HS' post on value transference. In most areas of the law, there is a small group of elite attorneys who make big bucks."

Keeping defendants out of jail is adding value to them, no? And, btw, don't be fooled by spell check: "HS" should get a singular apostrophe "s", since it is singular -- not a plural apostrophe.

[D]

If Straus-Khan gets AIDS from raping this woman, it would be kinda funny.

Sort of like instant karma. Of course, he's going to get AIDS in prison anyway.

[James B. Shearer]

"The Post reports that Strauss-Kahn will use consent as his defense, but that’s hardly newsworthy. That’s the standard defense in rape cases, and it works half the time. It worked for William Kennedy-Smith. And it worked the last time a rich person from overseas was accused of raping a chambermaid at a New York hotel. "

If you had bothered to read your own link you would have seen the previous guy used the "she is making the whole thing up defense" not the consent defense.

[Sheila Tone]

If she's lying, it's probably a scam. Not some complex psychological/religious motive that casts blame on your bugaboos (Muslims and women's sexual boundaries).

[Contrarian]

The accuser is reportedly 6 foot tall. Does anybody else find it hard to believe that a small, old, fat jewish man managed to chase down a tall, young african women (who doesn't have AIDS) twice, carry her off like a caveman and restrain her on the bed.

Yet the petite Tristane Banon managed to fend him off, when he was 10 years younger?

[D]

"Someone else already posted a link of the accusers photo."

----

Link?

[sabril]

"Sabril, Brafman is not an elite lawyer; in fact, he has already made a dumb mistake by originally throwing out a timeline defense"

To me, "elite" doesn't necessarily mean "excellent," it simply means that you are one of a small group of attorneys who charges very high rates and has people who are willing to pay them. (In this case, I would guess that this Brafman fellow is excellent but I do not know him.)

When you claim that Brafman is not "elite," how are you defining that term?

[ErisGuy]

> I predict an acquittal

I predict eventual bail, flight, and refusal of extradition from France, followed by a return to the US as a protected diplomat.

[Hendrik Verwoerd]

This Arnold and DSK thing is really weird even if DSK is innocent.

She was mestizo help. She was an African he didn't know. I'd rather jack off to porn.

How can a high IQ world-controller type also be a raging pervert? Maybe the "elite" really isn't so much more virtuous? And DSK is old with the libido of an 18 y old?

[Sheila Tone]

"But hey, who doesn't? =)"

The guy who got his penis bitten off, that's who.

[John IV]

If it gets to trial hes done. Hes a banker in america, and it just takes one pissed off juror screwed over by a bank to nail him.

They would have to keep him in jail though, taking away his passport is worthless. What private charter flight company wouldnt HAPPILY break that law in order to be owed a favor from the head of the most powerful economic organization in the world?

Erisguy has it close. any chance at escape and hes gone. He'll be transfered to a new position that doesnt bring him back to us soil. No diplomatic immunity. Politicians would gain too much good publicity just expelling the man each time he shows up for the feminist votes :)

[Henry Chen]

First time on this page. Your evidence that she is a devout Muslim could only support your case on the presumption that there was indeed consensual sex. It does not support the consensual sex hypothesis independently.

The evidence of being a devout Muslim would, conversely, independently point to a reluctance to engage in casual sex in the first place. Consensual casual sex would only be argued in this case "despite" her being a Muslim.

Now, presuming consensual sex, as you have, yes, being a Muslim may make her stop. But feeling guilty after sex and then wrongfully (therefore) accusing a supremely resourceful innocent man when one is a mere housekeeper is highly unlikely. Indeed shame after sex would likely lead to keeping something secret, rather than making it public.

[Independent Accountant]

This is another Crystal Gale Magnum, with "takiwa" to boot!