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JD.com founder and billionaire Liu settle US rape civil lawsuit


Richard Liu, founder of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, will step down as CEO. His departure comes after several prominent tech founders stepped down from leadership positions amid Beijing’s regulatory crackdown on the domestic tech sector.

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Billionaire Richard Liu, the founder of one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms JD.com, has settled a civil lawsuit filed by University of Michigan alumnus Liu Jingyao, who accused him of rape. prostitution.

The lawsuit is part of a lengthy legal battle between Richard Liu and Liu Jingyao, a 21-year-old student, in 2018 when she said Richard Liu raped her after an evening of dinner and drinking.

A statement from the parties to the lawsuit, and provided to Reuters by JD.com, said: “The incident between Ms. Jingyao Liu and Mr. Richard Liu in Minnesota in 2018 resulted in a misunderstanding that attracted the attention of the public. considerable public attention and bring profound suffering to the parties and their families.”

It went on to confirm that the case, which last week began jury selection proceedings in a Minnesota court, was settled, but did not disclose the conditions of the settlement.

JD.com declined to comment further on the case, while lawyers for Richard Liu and Liu Jingyao did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Richard Liu is a well-known billionaire in China who founded and until earlier this year was the chief executive officer of JD.com. He handed over CEO rights to Xu Lei in April.

Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit in April 2019, four months after prosecutors rejected criminal charges against Richard Liu.

The incident severely damaged Liu’s reputation in China and brought him under scrutiny for his control over the e-commerce giant. In 2019, he resigned from the advisory body to the National People’s Congress, citing “personal reasons”.

The incident has also excited many women in China, where issues like sexual harassment and assault have for years rarely been made public until the #MeToo movement began to take root in 2018. although since then, the movement has faced online censorship and official opposition.

Supporters of Liu Jingyao on Chinese social media called the settlement a victory for China’s #MeToo movement.

News of the settlement quickly began circulating on Chinese social media on Sunday, with more than 110 million people reading news on the subject.

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