London, July 13 (IANS) Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has launched legal action against a French writer who accused him of trying to rape her, a media report said Wednesday.

Tristane Banon, 32, gave a statement to police Monday. She had earlier lodged a criminal complaint, the Daily Express reported.

The journalist accused the 62-year-old former IMF official of acting like a "rutting chimpanzee" during the alleged assault when she went to interview him in a Paris flat in 2003.

She claims Strauss-Kahn struggled with her and tried to tear off her clothes.

Strauss-Kahn is also facing charges in New York for the attempted rape of a hotel maid. However, ­questions have been raised about the maid's credibility.

Banon's lawyer said her case was "extremely solid and well documented".

"We have physical ­evidence and text messages. We are not giving up," the lawyer said.

Banon said she did not bring charges eight years ago because at that time everyone told her it would "never succeed". But following the ­allegations in New York, she thought there was "perhaps a chance to ­finally be believed".

Strauss-Kahn's lawyer in Paris said: "Her claims are imaginary. It never ­happened. Our legal action was filed, as we had announced, as soon as we learned of the launch of the preliminary inquiry."