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She resigned her job in February because of the department's refusal to give her immunity and because she was denied permission to travel to India to visit her family. She said she was told that she risks arrest and extradition to Italy if she leaves the United States.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the suit is under review and the agency had no immediate comment.

The suit says De Sousa has been deprived of any recourse to respond to the allegations that have impugned her reputation, and she asks that the State Department provide her with a "name-clearing hearing" to challenge the accuracy of the charges against her. The suit says she has been "effectively abandoned and left to fend for herself by the very government she had faithfully served for over a decade."

"The U.S. government's refusal to protect its diplomats and military personnel is virtually unprecedented, and sets a terrible example for anyone who wishes to serve the interests of the U.S. overseas," said De Sousa's lawyer, Mark Zaid.

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Associated Press reporter Maria Sanminiatelli in New York contributed to this report.

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