Student Sues JD.com and CEO Liu for Damages Over Alleged Rape
- Prosecutor declined in December to press criminal charges
- Accusations have hung over company’s stock since last year
The University of Minnesota undergraduate student who accused Chinese billionaire Richard Liu of raping her filed a civil suit against the chief executive officer of e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. and the company itself, seeking monetary damages almost four months after prosecutors decided not to press criminal charges.
Jingyao Liu, a 21-year-old student at the time of the incident, charged the Chinese company and its employees played a key role in the alleged August rape while Liu was attending a doctor of business administration program at the university. A public relations executive allegedly purchased 32 bottles of wine for more than $3,600 with a company credit card at a dinner leading up to the incident, then paid the dinner tab with the same corporate card, according to the complaint. Another woman affiliated with JD rode in the limousine while the CEO allegedly groped and pressed himself on the student.