By Fraser P. Seitel
Last week, at the same time the New York media gleefully reported that freed jailbird Dominique Strauss-Kahn was out dining at a trendy East Side restaurant, his hotel maid rape accuser was eating crow.
As the 32-year-old African widow's credibility continued to get picked apart by the press and the New York District Attorney's case against the former International Monetary Fund chief continued to fall apart, a relieved and delighted French public wondered if Strauss-Kahn would be elected its next president.
Not so fast, mes amis.
We don't know for certain how Le'Affaire DSK will ultimately shake out for the various participants, but we can make the following preliminary judgments on reputational fallout.
• Biggest Winner – Benjamin Branfman
Strauss-Kahn's understated lawyer zoomed to the top of the criminal defense attorney heap with his orchestration of the stunning turnaround of the scuzzy Frenchman's fortunes.
One day the reviled Strauss-Kahn languished under "suicide watch" at Rikers, and the next day, thanks to the behind-the-scenes arm-twisting, story-leaking, influence-peddling acumen of Branfman, he emerged a vindicated victim.
Branfman may have won P. Diddy's acquittal on weapons charges and Jay-Z's probation on assault charges, but they paled in comparison to his miraculous efforts in behalf of Strauss-Kahn. (And of course, all three did a heckuva lot better than Branfman client NFL star Plaxico Burress, who got two years for shooting himself in the foot!)
As opposed to many of his bellicose defense attorney brethren, Branfman, is low-key with a silent hand in strategically working the media to influence public opinion about his clients. As a result of the lawyer's efforts in the Strauss-Kahn case, the fate of Branfman's client and the trajectory of Branfman's reputation soared straight up.
From now on, the first attorney, this side of Casey Anthony's Jose Baez, that any wealthy celebrity slug will ask for is Ben Branfman.
• Biggest Loser – Cyrus Vance, Jr.
It's never easy being the son of a famous man, aka "the curse of Junior."
Think Frank Sinatra, Jesse Jackson, Pete Rose.
In the case of newly-elected New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., poppa was a rolling stone who gathered no moss but plenty of distinctions -- Secretary of the Army under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Johnson, and then Secretary of State to President Jimmy Carter.
The late Cyrus Vance was an international superstar, with difficult shoes to fill for a namesake – especially if, as in this case, you slip on a crumbling high profile case the first time out of the chute.
DA defenders argue that Vance had no choice but to grab Strauss-Kahn, with the international financier fleeing the Sofitel without his cell phone to board a flight to freedom. It was only later, say the advocates, that Vance had a chance to scrutinize the maid's shaky story.
All true.
But in the year of our lord 2011, "perception is reality." And the perception here is that Cyrus Vance, Jr. lost big time on the DSK case.
• Rebounding Victim – The Maid
The woman at the center of the deteriorating DSK dilemma is taking her lumps as the case fizzles.
The maid has ample ‘splainin to do, as questions emerge about her friends in the big house, her income from six-figure wire transfers in multiple bank accounts, and her background. Alas, her experience with the legal system may just be beginning.
But … don't count her out just yet in terms of reputational redemption.
She was, after all, the person who exposed Strauss-Kahn as the seriously-flawed sexual aggressor he evidently is. Nor is there much dispute about what she said generally happened at the Sofitel between the married money baron and herself. So while the DSK case may have tanked, her appeal as a sympathetic witness may not have.
With the proper counseling, the aggrieved young woman's cautionary tale could become a sought-after media moment. And while the erstwhile maid's story may not fetch Casey Anthony money, she could do very well indeed.
• Rebounding Alleged Perp (maybe) – Dominique Strauss-Kahn
The reputational fate of DSK, himself, is less certain.
First, he is French. And in France, even the most boorish behavior can earn a "pass" if you've bettered the dreaded Americans. The French public may, indeed, be willing to embrace their tarnished son, despite his past deviant dalliances.
On the other hand, with an equally high profile, sexual assault lawsuit from young writer Tristane Banon waiting for him back in the homeland, DSK's path to redemption is by no means guaranteed.
Were the embattled Frenchman to adopt the kind of "out of the box" strategy suggested by my friend Claude Singer at the BrandSlinger.com blog and "thank America for making me change my ways," he might well turn the tide of public sentiment.
But admitting your flaws would be a real stretch for one as arrogant as Strauss-Kahn (besides he's French!).
So despite his stunning vindication in New York City, whether or not DSK can regain his PR mojo remains very much an open question.
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