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Chinese student sued JD.com founder and CEO Richard Liu, alleging that the billionaire businessman raped her in Minnesota in August, four months after local prosecutors had decided not to lodge a complaint.
The suit, which was filed Tuesday in Hennepin County, is seeking damages in excess of $ 50,000. He identifies the student as being Jingyao Liu (unrelated to Richard Liu), an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota.
JD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Peter Walsh, JD.com's lawyer at Hogan Lovells, said the company "is not in a position to comment for the moment" but "will vigorously defend these baseless claims against the company".
Liu maintained his innocence through his lawyers throughout the investigation. The executive said on social media in December that he did not "break any laws" but felt "extreme admiration and deep regret" for the pain that his "that day" behavior inflicted to his family and his wife, a famous celebrity on the Internet. like sister milk tea.
In December, Hennepin County lawyer Michael Freeman said he was not arguing for Liu because "there were serious evidentiary problems that would have made highly unlikely the possibility of a criminal evidence beyond reasonable doubt ". He then pointed out that his decision to do with Liu's status as a rich, foreign businessman. "
Liu's case sparked a keen interest in China, where the story of misery and wealth inspired many. If she were charged and sentenced, Liu could be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
JD's shares immediately fell after the student first charged Liu in August, fearing that the case would prevent him from running the company, which is the rival of Jack Ma's Alibaba and who has to face the growing competition of electronic commerce, Pinduoduo.
The company's shares have been slowly recovering since December, after the Hennepin County attorney decided not to indict the founder. Nevertheless, JD is facing moral laxity as large-scale layoffs strike senior executives and a new pay system threatens to lower the revenues of its mail armies.
Updated with the JD.com statement
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