The accuser, Nafissatou Diallo, and her attorney, Kenneth Thompson, met with representatives of the Manhattan district attorney's office to discuss the decision not to proceed with the prosecution.
They emerged from the meeting 15 minutes later. Thompson didn't say what had happened inside or reveal what his client was told, but recited a short statement condemning prosecutors for their handling of the case.
"Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has denied the right of a woman to get justice in a rape case," he said. "He has not only turned his back on this innocent victim. But he has also turned his back on the forensic, medical and other physical evidence in this case."
At the same time, prosecutors filed legal papers with the court recommending that the charges be dismissed. The document was not immediately made available to the public, so the district attorney's reasons for asking for the dismissal were not known.
Strauss-Kahn is scheduled to go before a judge Tuesday. His lawyers, William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman, issued a statement saying that the French diplomat and his family were grateful for the decision.
"We have maintained from the beginning of this case that our client is innocent," they said. "We also maintained that there were many reasons to believe that Mr. Strauss-Kahn's accuser was not credible."
A person familiar with the case had told The Associated Press that prosecutors had concerns about Diallo's credibility and insufficient evidence of forced sexual encounter. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.
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Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz.
