Maid''s French laywer reacting to Strauss Kahn''s TV interview

(19 Sep 2011) 1. Mid of Thibault de Montbrial, lawyer for Nafissatou Diallo, at his desk 2. SOUNDBITE (French) Thibault de Montbrial, Nafissatou Diallo''s lawyer in France: "So Mr Strauss-Kahn distorted the prosecutor''s report by transforming it into a magic sponge cleansing him of everything that happened in New York, when in reality he didn''t answer any of the real questions that everyone still wants to know about." 3. Cutaway of Montbrial at computer 4. SOUNDBITE (French) Thibault de Montbrial, Nafissatou Diallo''s lawyer in France: "He did not dismiss the hypothesis of being a victim of a plot, which is in itself an incredible fact. If the fact that Mr Strauss Kahn is in difficulty because what happened in the Sofitel room is part of a plot, then we have to take that plot back back many years: in 2003 with Madame Banon, in 2008 with Madame Nagy, who wrote a powerful letter on the way in which Mr Strauss-Kahn confused the exercise of power and his relationship with her. So if it''s a 10-year plot then let''s talk about it, let''s get to the heart of the plot, it will be extremely interesting indeed." 5. Cutaway of Montbrial at his desk 6. Cutaway of legal reference texts 7. SOUNDBITE (French) Thibault de Montbrial, Nafissatou Diallo''s lawyer in France: "What will be important will be the moment when, in the context of the American civil suit, Mr Strauss-Kahn will be questioned. It''s called the deposition. He will be questioned by Nafissatou Diallo''s lawyers in their office with his own lawyers. It will last several hours, it could last several days. It will be under oath, it will be with a court stenographer and on that day he will not be able to escape his responsibilities. He will no longer be able to duck, he will no longer be able to avoid it. He''ll have to respond to the question of what happened in that room." 8. Cutaway of Montbrial typing on computer, tilt up to close of his face 9. SOUNDBITE (French) Thibault de Montbrial, Nafissatou Diallo''s lawyer in France: "Mr Strauss Kahn said something that was false. He said the prosecutor''s report said Nafissatou Diallo lied about everything. That''s not true. Madame Diallo did not lie about the facts. Madame Diallo remained consistent on the facts and stated the truth, and the medical report from St Lukes Hospital, which specialises in cases of sexual aggression, said it. Madame Diallo had lesions that are compatible with sexual aggression and, she especially had signs of traumatic shock which are absolutely typical of victims of sexual aggression. So, on all of that, Mr Strauss-Kahn will have to explain himself and, questioned by lawyers, it will no doubt be a lot less simple than being questioned by a friend of his wife." 10. Cutaway of Montbrial at his desk STORYLINE: Thibault de Montbrial, a French lawyer representing Nafissatou Diallo, the New York hotel maid who accused Dominic Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, spoke to The Associated Press on Monday in the wake of Strauss-Kahn''s controversial television interview. Throughout what appeared to be a heavily scripted interview with French Channel TF1, the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief broke his silence four months after the alleged assault, Strauss-Kahn said his encounter on 14 May with Diallo - an African immigrant who claimed he attacked her when she came to clean his room at Manhattan''s Sofitel hotel - "did not involve violence, constraint or aggression." He also stressed the importance of the impending civil suit in the United States. If Paris prosecutors decide to pursue the case, Strauss-Kahn could face a possible trial. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...