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Bronx court may prove good as gold for DSK’s accuser. Hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo immediately improved her chances of winning a multimillion-dollar suit against the French horndog simply by choosing to go after him in Bronx Civil Court — where jurors are the most likely to side with plaintiffs than in any other jurisdiction, particularly if they’re poor minorities such as herself, legal experts say.
“The Bronx civil jury is the greatest tool of wealth redistribution since the Red Army,” said civil-rights lawyer Ron Kuby.
“As a purported socialist, DSK shouldn’t mind the venue,” Kuby quipped. “[But] of course, it’s his money that’s being redistributed, which might make a difference.” The Sofitel housecleaner filed suit against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn Monday after he allegedly tried to rape her in the Manhattan hotel in May.
Aside from The Bronx, where she lives, she could have sued him either in civil or federal court in Manhattan, where the alleged assault occurred.
“But The Bronx is where you’d want to be,” said city lawyer Harvey Slovis.
“She’s coming here because there are a lot of people of color who feel the system has been abusive to them, and they tend to give big judgments, whereas in Manhattan, you get stockbrokers and lawyers, and she wouldn’t fare so well,” Slovis said.
“Your jurors in The Bronx are just regular people, they’re a lot of unemployed people. . . . So what you’re getting is a jury that’s going to look favorably on this alleged victim against this multimillionaire guy.”
In fact, given Diallo’s inconsistent story and admitted lying on immigration forms, the lawyer added, “She has so much in her background, the only place she could win is The Bronx.
“It was a terrific move.”
Unlike criminal cases, with 12 jurors, civil suits seat six, who only have to consider a “preponderance of evidence” to determine liability, as opposed to finding someone “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” at criminal trial.
The jurors’ desire to shower money on those deemed wronged is famous: Statistics show that at one point, they were doling out awards averaging more than $5 million — as opposed to tightwad Manhattan juries, whose awards averaged just over a measly $1 million.
Still, Kuby cautioned that Diallo could be years away from seeing any dough.
“He has no money,” Kuby insisted of Strauss-Kahn, saying it’s his heiress-wife, Anne Sinclair, who has the beaucoup bucks.
“And unless both parties want the case to go to trial, it will take years, if not decades. If you’re well-armed with money and lawyers, you can delay this case until DSK is dead.”
With Post wires