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JD.com’s Chief, Richard Liu, Is Accused of Rape in Lawsuit JD.com’s Chief, Richard Liu, Is Accused of Rape in Lawsuit
(30 minutes later)
A University of Minnesota student accused Richard Liu, the billionaire founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, of rape in a lawsuit filed in Minneapolis on Tuesday, four months after prosecutors decided not to pursue a criminal case. A University of Minnesota student accused Richard Liu, the billionaire founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, of rape in a lawsuit filed in Minneapolis on Tuesday, four months after prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal case.
Mr. Liu’s lawyer, Jill Brisbois, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which also names JD.com as a defendant. She has repeatedly stated that Mr. Liu, whose Chinese name is Liu Qiangdong, is innocent. The lawsuit, which also names JD.com as a defendant, seeks more than $50,000 in damages. The student, Liu Jingyao, is identified in the complaint as an undergraduate who lives in Minneapolis.
The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota State Court in Hennepin County, seeks more than $50,000 in damages. The student, Liu Jingyao, is identified in the complaint as an undergraduate student who lives in Minneapolis. In the lawsuit, filed in Minnesota State Court in Hennepin County, she accused Mr. Liu of forcing himself on her in her apartment on Aug. 30 while he was taking courses at the university.
In the lawsuit, she accused Mr. Liu of forcing himself on her in her apartment on Aug. 30 while he was taking courses at the university.
He was later arrested but released within hours and allowed to return to China. On Dec. 21, the county attorney’s office said it had not found enough evidence to charge him with sexual assault.He was later arrested but released within hours and allowed to return to China. On Dec. 21, the county attorney’s office said it had not found enough evidence to charge him with sexual assault.
A lawyer for Mr. Liu, Jill Brisbois, said in a statement that, based on the county attorney’s decision “and our belief in his innocence, we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it.”
Ms. Liu said in the complaint that the experience had caused her to withdraw from all of her classes in the fall and seek professional counseling.Ms. Liu said in the complaint that the experience had caused her to withdraw from all of her classes in the fall and seek professional counseling.
Chinese social media users were fixated on the case. Mr. Liu is a celebrity in Asia, a tycoon with a well-known personal tale of humble beginnings, hard work and enormous wealth. He is married to Zhang Zetian, a popular figure on social media known as Sister Milk Tea.Chinese social media users were fixated on the case. Mr. Liu is a celebrity in Asia, a tycoon with a well-known personal tale of humble beginnings, hard work and enormous wealth. He is married to Zhang Zetian, a popular figure on social media known as Sister Milk Tea.
JD.com’s stock has struggled in the past year under pressure from concerns about Mr. Liu’s ability to lead the company and instability in the Chinese economy.JD.com’s stock has struggled in the past year under pressure from concerns about Mr. Liu’s ability to lead the company and instability in the Chinese economy.
Since the county attorney’s decision not to press charges, Mr. Liu has returned to public visibility, most recently weighing in on a debate about overtime work in China. Mr. Liu had been in Minneapolis to participate in a global business program aimed at Asian executives, according to Tuesday’s complaint.
Ms. Liu, a Chinese citizen, was asked to be a volunteer for the program, according to the lawsuit.
Ms. Liu attended a dinner that turned out to be a business networking event organized by Mr. Liu and was paid for using a JD.com corporate credit card, according to the lawsuit.
After Mr. Liu pressured her to drink, the complaint said, Ms. Liu asked for help with calling a ride service to take her home, but was instead directed to a limousine that JD.com had hired. Inside, Mr. Liu began to grope Ms. Liu without her consent, she claimed.
She asked to be taken back to her apartment, but Mr. Liu followed her inside and raped her, according to the lawsuit. Soon after, Ms. Liu told a fellow volunteer about the attack on the messaging app WeChat, but said in the complaint that she had not contacted the police “out of fear for her safety and that of her family.”
The friend called 911, and law enforcement officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and the University of Minnesota arrived at the apartment and found Mr. Liu, according to the complaint.
Ms. Brisbois, Mr. Liu’s lawyer, has said that Ms. Liu agreed to the physical contact with Mr. Liu inside the car and that what happened inside the apartment was “entirely consensual.”
After Mr. Liu’s release, Ms. Liu demanded money in exchange for not suing, Ms. Brisbois has said. Wil Florin, a lawyer for Ms. Liu, has said that his client did not initiate contact about a settlement and that many of Ms. Brisbois’s descriptions of events were contradicted by witnesses.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Liu’s actions were enabled by JD.com, which employed the assistants who were present for much of the evening and gave the tycoon “unfettered access to its corporate funds the entire time he was in Minnesota.”