New York ( CNN ) -- A New York judge dismissed sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the prosecutor 's request Tuesday . A grand jury indicted Strauss-Kahn in May over allegations he sexually assaulted hotel housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo in his New York hotel suite . But in July , prosecutors began to back off the case , asking Judge Michael Obus to release Strauss-Kahn from house arrest after information surfaced that they said called Diallo 's credibility into question . On Monday , prosecutors asked Obus to dismiss the charges entirely , while Diallo 's attorney filed a motion asking that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance be disqualified from the case and that a special prosecutor be appointed . Obus rejected the request from Diallo 's attorneys and then , at a hearing Tuesday morning , approved the request to dismiss charges . He had stayed implementation of the order to give Diallo 's attorneys time to appeal his decision on the special prosecutor . The New York Supreme Court rejected the appeal Tuesday afternoon , according to court attorney Lauren Holmes . Diallo 's attorney , Kenneth Thompson , decried the decision . `` District Attorney Vance has abandoned an innocent woman and has denied an innocent woman a chance to get justice in a rape case , '' he said . Vance , in a news release Tuesday , said prosecutors had no choice because they were `` not persuaded -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- that a crime has been committed , based on the evidence we have . '' He said Diallo 's testimony `` was fatally damaged , for several key reasons . '' In a statement , Strauss-Kahn -- who has always denied the charges -- thanked his attorneys and Obus for his decision . `` These past two and a half months have been a nightmare for me and my family , '' he said , adding that he was `` obviously gratified that the district attorney agreed with my lawyers that this case had to be dismissed . '' Later , speaking to reporters outside his house , he said , `` I am thankful for my wife , my children , my friends , and those who supported me during this period . I look forward to returning to my country , but I still have some things to do before I leave . I will explain more fully when I return . '' Strauss-Kahn 's attorneys said in a statement Monday after prosecutors filed their request that it vindicated their consistent claim that their client is innocent . `` Mr. Strauss-Kahn and his family are grateful that the district attorney 's office took our concerns seriously and concluded on its own that this case can not proceed further , '' attorneys William W. Taylor and Benjamin Brafman said in a statement . In a Paris news conference before the hearing , one of Diallo 's attorneys said dismissing the charges would be a travesty . `` For the district attorney to now dismiss this case or seek to dismiss this case and turn his back on this victim because of so-called credibility issues is an affront not only on Ms. Diallo but an affront on all victims and sexual victims who come forward in the future , '' attorney Douglas Wigdor said . Prosecutors filed a `` recommendation for dismissal '' in the case Monday , noting more questions about Diallo 's credibility . `` The nature and number of the complainant 's falsehoods leave us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt , whatever the truth may be about the encounter between the complainant and the defendant , '' the document states . `` If we do not believe her beyond a reasonable doubt , we can not ask a jury to do so . '' Prosecutors voiced concern that the case appeared to rest exclusively on the housekeeper 's account , predicting her `` falsehoods '' would be `` devastating '' if revealed during a trial . They claim she `` has not been truthful in matters great and small , '' including lying about a `` gang rape , as well as other details about her life in ( her native ) Guinea . '' Diallo lied about the specifics of her whereabouts after the incident and past details of an asylum application and information on tax forms , prosecutors said . She also admitted lying on the asylum application about having been a victim of a gang rape , even providing details of an attack and later admitting it never happened , according to prosecutors . In their court filing , prosecutors said that DNA testing indicated semen on her dress matched Strauss-Kahn and shows there was a sexual encounter . There was `` no trauma to her body or oral cavity '' and `` scrapings from underneath her fingernails ... yielded no results . '' Moreover , prosecutors claim Diallo 's current story of her `` prompt outcry to her first supervisor is inconsistent with certain aspects of that supervisor 's account . '' `` All of the evidence that might be relevant to the contested issues of force and lack of consent is simply inconclusive , '' wrote the prosecutors . Thompson said Strauss-Kahn 's power and prestige played a role in the outcome of the case , saying prosecutors would not `` run from DNA evidence '' if Strauss-Kahn `` was a plumber . '' In Paris before the hearing , Wigdor disputed almost every aspect of the prosecution 's claim , saying a medical examination following the alleged rape showed bruises on Diallo 's vagina and that she suffered a `` tear '' on her shoulder and rips in her stockings . A `` mountain of physical evidence '' points toward a violent sexual assault during a nine-minute period inside Strauss-Kahn 's New York hotel suite in May , Wigdor told reporters in France , where he is gathering evidence for a civil lawsuit against the French citizen and onetime contender for that nation 's presidency . Diallo quickly reported the incident to five co-workers and was visibly upset after the incident , shaken up , spitting and nearly vomiting , Wigdor said . He rejected explanations by Strauss-Kahn 's attorneys that any sexual encounter that may have occurred was consensual , questioning how he could persuade a woman he had never met before to have sex during a nine-minute encounter . `` There is no other plausible explanation '' but sexual assault , Wigdor said . A crowd of protesters gathered near the courtroom in New York in support of Diallo , carrying handwritten signs reading `` No impunity 4 rapists in power '' and `` Nafissatou we believe you , '' among other things . In Tuesday 's news release , Vance said , `` As prosecutors , we do n't work in a world where we expect or require perfect witnesses . The tens of thousands of victims who come to our office each year come from varied and often difficult circumstances , and sometimes with imperfect pasts . If we are convinced they are truthful about the crimes committed against them , and will tell the truth at trial , we will ask a jury to consider their testimony to prove a crime . If we are not convinced , we can not , should not and do not take the case to a jury . '' He asserted that `` seeking justice for sex crimes victims , and protecting immigrants , are among the highest priorities in this office , '' but `` we have to judge each case by its own unique set of facts . '' Attorneys for Diallo said claims that Diallo told a friend in prison that she was going to cash in on the incident were untrue and accused the district attorney 's office of treating Diallo like a criminal defendant and not an alleged victim . In their now-rejected motion to have Vance removed from the case , Diallo 's attorney cited allegations of `` abuse of confidence , unfair treatment and bias and prejudices '' by Vance that they say disqualify him from the case . `` Are we telling ( sexual assault victims ) that if they dare to name a powerful , politically connected man as their abuser , they will see their whole life laid out to be judged publicly ? '' asked New York City Councilwoman Letitia James . `` What does it take for a low-income immigrant -- a woman of color -- to publicly name one of the most powerful men in Europe as a sexual abuser ? '' CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said before the hearing that Strauss-Kahn should now be able to breathe easier and `` return to some semblance of his former life . '' But he said that no one involved in the case `` comes out of it looking very good . '' `` This is a case that looks like it has nothing but losers -- the alleged victim , the defendant , and the prosecutor , '' Toobin said . `` The conclusion is likely to be entirely satisfying to no one . ''
A judge approves dismissal of sexual assault charges against Strauss-Kahn . DA : Prosecutors were `` not persuaded ... that a crime has been committed '' The past weeks were `` a nightmare , '' Strauss-Kahn says . Diallo 's lawyer says there 's a `` mountain of physical evidence '' that Strauss-Kahn assaulted her .