JD.com founder Richard Liu sued for alleged rape by Minnesota student Liu Jingyao
- She claims the Chinese billionaire forced himself on her in his vehicle after dinner with other wealthy executives
- Lawsuit seeks damages of more than US$50,000
A woman who said she was raped by JD.com founder Richard Liu filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the billionaire and his company alleging he and other wealthy Chinese executives coerced her to drink during a dinner in the hours before she was attacked.
Liu Jingyao a student at the University of Minnesota, claims Liu forced himself upon her in his vehicle after the dinner and later raped her at her apartment. The lawsuit seeks damages of more than US$50,000.
Richard Liu, founder of the Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was arrested on August 31 in Minneapolis on suspicion of felony rape and released within hours. Prosecutors announced in December that he would face no criminal charges because the case had “profound evidentiary problems” and that it was unlikely they could prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Liu’s defence lawyers said at the time that his arrest was based on a false claim. Liu released a statement on Chinese social media then saying he broke no law, but that his interactions with the woman hurt his family, especially his wife, and he hoped she would accept his apology.
Lawyers for Richard Liu and representatives of JD.com did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The alleged attack happened while Liu was in Minneapolis for a week-long residency as part of the University of Minnesota’s doctor of business administration China programme. The four-year programme in the university’s management school is geared toward high-level executives in China and is a partnership with Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.