A U.S. judge has postponed a ruling on whether to dismiss a hotel maid's civil lawsuit against French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon heard arguments Wednesday in Nafisatou Diallo's suit. He said he would not rule immediately in the case.

Diallo says Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in his Manhattan hotel suite last May. Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter.

Prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last summer, citing doubts about Diallo's credibility.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers argued Wednesday the civil suit also should be dismissed, saying that he has diplomatic immunity from the suit because of his post as head of the International Monetary Fund at the time the alleged crime took place. He resigned shortly after his arrest.

Diallo's lawyers say the immunity claim is unjustified because it relies on a United Nations agreement the U.S. did not sign.

The former IMF chief was charged Tuesday with pimping as part of organized crime in France. His French lawyers said Strauss-Kahn is being hounded for his libertine ways. The Socialist politician was once considered a top rival to President Nicolas Sarkozy in the upcoming French presidential election.