A New York hotel maid's civil lawsuit against Dominique Strauss-Kahn can proceed to trial, a US judge has ruled.
Strauss Khan had attempted to halt the civil suit through suggesting he was immune to prosecution having been head of the IMF. But his claim was rejected by judge Douglas McKeon.
The move means the civil lawsuit from Nafissatou Diallo, who alleges Strauss-Khan assaulted her in New York in May 2011, can go ahead.
In August, a criminal case against the former IMF managing director was dropped after the prosecutors said Diallo could not be trusted.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Diallo said that DSK's plea was "desperate" : "We are extremely pleased with Judge McKeon's well reasoned and articulate decision recognizing that Strauss Kahn is not entitled to immunity.
"We have said all along that Strauss Kahn' s desperate plea for immunity was a tactic designed to delay these proceedings and we now look forward to holding him accountable for the brutal sexual assault that he committed."
Hotel maid Diallo had claims Stauss-Khan forced her to perform oral sex on him on 14 May. Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter.