JD.com describes lawsuit as ‘meritless’ after Minnesota student accuses Richard Liu of rape in US

JD.com said it will defend itself vigorously after a University of Minnesota student accused Richard Liu, the billionaire founder and CEO of China’s second biggest e-commerce company, of rape in a lawsuit filed in Minneapolis on Tuesday, four months after prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal case.

The lawsuit, which JD’s lawyers described as meritless, also names JD.com as a defendant and seeks more than US$50,000 in damages. The student, Liu Jingyao, is identified in the complaint as a University of Minnesota undergraduate.

The 21-year old Liu Jingyao says that JD’s Liu forcibly assaulted her in her apartment after plying her with alcohol at a business networking dinner with other wealthy Chinese executives, according to the complaint filed on Tuesday in Hennepin County court in Minnesota.

“We will vigorously defend these meritless claims against the company,” ?Peter Walsh, lawyer for JD.com, said in a statement. “We are not in a position to comment further at this time.”

Richard Liu’s US attorney, Jill Brisbois, said in a written statement on Tuesday that she had not yet reviewed the complaint and would not comment on pending litigation, but “based on the Hennepin County Attorney’s declination to charge a case against our client and our belief in his innocence, we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it.”

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Florin Roebig, P.A., one of the US law firms representing Liu Jingyao, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The lawsuit puts Chinese billionaire Liu back in the spotlight four months after prosecutors announced no criminal charges against him last December. The student first accused him of rape during the time when he was attending a university business programme last year.

In recent months, JD.com has been battling tougher conditions in China’s e-commerce market amid a slowing economy, stiffer competition from new entrants such as group buying site Pinduoduo and a cooling of China’s hot tech market that has seen widespread lay-offs.

Richard Liu commented publicly on the internet last week to weigh in on the ongoing debate about the long hours and overtime work culture in China’s tech sector, saying it was essential to build a successful business and stay ahead of competitors. Liu has been a conspicuous no-show at large political and commercial events in China since last August.

Liu, through his lawyers, maintained his innocence throughout the law enforcement investigation last year, which ended in December.

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In December, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman announced he was not charging Richard Liu as there were “profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“As we reviewed surveillance video, text messages, police body camera video and witness statements, it became clear that we could not meet our burden of proof and, therefore, we could not bring charges,” the statement quoted Hennepin County lawyer Mike Freeman as saying.

Liu later posted a statement on his social media account saying although innocent of any crime, his interactions with the woman had hurt his family, especially his wife. He said he felt “deep regret and remorse”, and hoped his wife could accept his “sincere apology”.

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