JD.com founder and billionaire Liu settles U.S. rape civil suit

Billionaire Richard Liu, laminitis of 1 of China's largest e-commerce platforms JD.com, has settled a civilian suit brought by erstwhile University of Michigan pupil Liu Jingyao, who had accused him of rape.

The suit was portion of a long-running ineligible conflict betwixt Richard Liu and Liu Jingyao, who was a 21-year-old pupil successful 2018 erstwhile she said Richard Liu raped her aft an evening of meal and drinks.

A connection from the lawsuit's parties, and provided to Reuters by JD.com, said: "The incidental betwixt Ms. Jingyao Liu and Mr. Richard Liu successful Minnesota successful 2018 resulted successful a misunderstanding that has consumed important nationalist attraction and brought profound suffering to the parties and their families."

It went connected to corroborate that the case, which past week began assemblage enactment proceedings successful a Minnesota court, has been settled, but did not disclose the conditions of the settlement.

JD.com declined to remark further connected the case, portion lawyers for Richard Liu and Liu Jingyao did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Richard Liu is simply a high-profile billionaire successful China who founded and until earlier this twelvemonth was main enforcement of JD.com. He handed the CEO reins to Xu Lei successful April.

Liu Jingyao filed the civilian suit successful April 2019, 4 months aft prosecutors declined to property transgression charges against Richard Liu.

The lawsuit heavy dented Liu's estimation successful China and enactment scrutiny connected his power of the e-commerce giant. In 2019, helium resigned from the advisory assemblage to China's parliament, citing "personal reasons".

The lawsuit had besides galvanised galore women successful China, wherever issues specified arsenic intersexual harassment and battle had for years been seldom broached successful nationalist until the #MeToo question took basal successful 2018, though it has faced online censorship and authoritative pushback since.

Supporters of Liu Jingyao connected Chinese societal media called the colony a triumph for China's #MeToo movement.

News of the colony rapidly began trending connected Chinese societal media connected Sunday, with much than 110 cardinal radical speechmaking quality connected the topic.