Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn has reportedly settled the lawsuit filed against him by a Sofitel Hotel housekeeper who accused him of sexually assaulting her in his hotel room.  The amount of the private settlement is rumored to be $6 million.

Had the case gone to trial, lawyers for the housekeeper—Nafissatou Diallo—told a New York Times reporter they would have introduced testimony from other women who were sexually assaulted by Strauss-Kahn in “hotel rooms around the world.”

Although Diallo has yet to file a lawsuit against Sofitel Hotel, she may do so in the future, possibly asserting claims for Sofitel’s alleged maintenance of a hostile work environment and its alleged failure to take adequate steps to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assaults from occurring on its premises.

The Strauss-Kahn incident is a strong reminder of the importance of sexual harassment prevention training for hoteliers and managers and employees throughout the hospitality industry.  To accomplish this, hotels are advised to utilize custom learning solutions and other hospitality technology strategies to train hotel staff and management to identify and prevent incidents of sexual harassment and assault.