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Charges Likely To Be Dropped Against Strauss-Kahn After Prosecutors Meet With Accuser

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Prosecutors met very briefly Monday afternoon with Nafissatou Diallo, the maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape and it appears charges against him will be dropped, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.

Diallo, once described as "brave" and "unwavering" by prosecutors, left the meeting dissatisfied.

According to court papers filed Monday, District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. will recommend that all charges be dismissed. Prosecutors said they grew concerned by Diallo's "shifting and inconsistent versions of the events."

Diallo's attorney quickly addressed reporters after the meeting, which lasted about 10 minutes. Kenneth Thompson said that Vance "turned his back on this innocent victim."

Attorney Kenneth Thompson Is Outraged, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa Reports.

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"He has also turned his back on the forensic, medical, and other physical evidence in this case," Thompson said.

Thompson went on to say "if the Manhattan district attorney, who is elected to protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our wives, and our loved ones, is not going to stand up for them when they're raped or sexually assaulted, who will?"

Stuart Slotnick, a former prosecutor, applauded Vance's decision even though dropping the high-profile sex assault case is politically unpopular.

The Meeting Was Over In Minutes, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell Reports.

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"The worst thing a district attorney can do is prosecute people when they're not sure about their guilt," he told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey. "In this case here, there was so much evidence that this complainant doesn't tell the truth, didn't tell the truth and is not believable."

Strauss-Kahn is expected back in court Tuesday, when a formal announcement of the prosecutors' decision could be made.

"The prospect of Dominique Strauss-Kahn walking away scot-free is very disappointing," said Sonia Ossorio, executive director for the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women.

"Dominique Strauss-Kahn got lucky.  He attacked a woman with a shady past, and all too often in rape cases that's exactly what we see.  A woman's past, her credibility, is what's on trial -- not the incident at hand," Ossorio told CBS 2's Tony Aiello.

However, one-time prosecutor Andrew Johnson, said the accused has rights, too, and argued dropping charges was the right move.

"When the prosecution has substantial doubts, by consistent inconsistencies, and it appears to keep on growing, at some point they said 'enough is enough,'" he said.

The accusation against the former head of the International Monetary Fund cost him his position and all but eliminated his shot at running for president in France.

Since the start of the case, Strauss-Kahn's defense attorneys have maintained, as lawyer Benjamin Brafman put it, "this case was not what it appeared to be." They've maintained the case amounted to a shakedown, claims which may have been bolstered by Diallo's decision to file a civil suit at the same time as a criminal case was ongoing.

Strauss-Kahn's attorneys have said the suit proves that she was simply out for cash. However, Diallo said she filed the suit to stand up for herself and other women.

Thompson earlier released court papers in which he asked to hold a hearing to disqualify the district attorney from the case and appoint a special prosecutor. He listed a series of issues and problems saying there were potential conflicts of interest in the office that were never disclosed, inaccurate information about the case that was leaked to the press and that his client was treated poorly.

Prosecutors initially said Diallo's claims were "a compelling and unwavering story" chock full of "very powerful details" and supported by forensic evidence.

Their faith in her position began to crumble after they said they found a series of falsehoods had been told about her background, and her ability to remain consistent with the details of the encounter and its aftermath was also open to question.

What do you think of developments following the meeting? Is this case closed? Should it be? Sound off in our comments section.

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