MIAMI, FL— June 8, 2011 – “Not guilty,” pleaded former International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was accused of sexually assaulting a chambermaid at Manhattan’s Sofitel hotel last month. Before the French politician could even set foot inside the NYC courtroom on June 6, so he could plead not guilty to sexual assault and attempted rape charges, he was greeted by a fuming mob of hotel employees. New York Daily News reports suggested their message was simple and to the point: “Shame on you.”
The former head of the IMF was placed on house arrest, with his bail set to $6 million, after a housekeeper at the Sofitel hotel claimed Strauss-Kahn forcefully removed her clothing before making her “perform oral sex and submit to anal sex.”
While defense attorneys on the case are expected to argue that the episode was consensual, those representing the alleged sexual assault victim, who has remained both unidentified and unseen thus far, maintained that his client had no intention of dropping the charges or settling with the defendant.
Additionally, a recent Newsweek report shed light on a luxury hotel industry in which the need to fulfill the desires of rich and powerful guests has the potential to surpass the need to ensure that employees are not subject to harassment or sexual assault.
According to the Miami sexual assault attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, many hotels are reluctant to report occurrences that could be viewed as sexual harassment or assault due to the fact that the cases will likely result in negative press.
Even an unidentified security supervisor at one of Las Vegas’ major hotels told reporters, “We are not police. We are not looking to call something a crime. Unless someone wants to press charges, we try not to call Metro.”
Furthermore, although panic buttons could help protect hotel employees from potentially dangerous guests, the question remains: Are hotel security officers trained to react and respond in an appropriate and timely fashion?
Though a trial date for the Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case has yet to be set, the case is ongoing.
About the Miami Sexual Assault Lawyers and Personal Injury Attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
Working closely with advocacy groups such as the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), the Miami sexual assault attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting and enforcing the rights of rape and sexual assault victims. With more than 30 years of experiencing litigating a variety of complex injury and assault claims, the Florida injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. will fight to help victims of sexual assault and rape obtain the justice a compensation they deserve.