Woman Sues JD.com Founder Over Rape Claim

A woman who said she was raped by JD.com founder Richard Liu filed a lawsuit against the billionaire and his company on Tuesday, alleging he and other wealthy Chinese executives coerced her to drink during a dinner in the hours before she was attacked.

Jingyao Liu, a student at the University of Minnesota, claims Liu forced himself upon her in his vehicle after the dinner and later raped her at her flat. The lawsuit seeks damages of more than US$50,000.

Richard Liu, founder of the Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was arrested on August 31 in Minneapolis on suspicion of felony rape and released within hours. Prosecutors announced in December that he would face no criminal charges because the case had "profound evidentiary problems" and that it was unlikely they could prove his guilt.

Liu's defence attorneys said at the time that his arrest was based on a false claim. Liu released a statement on Chinese social media then saying he broke no law, but that his interactions with the woman hurt his family, especially his wife, and he hoped she would accept his apology.

Jill Brisbois, an attorney for Richard Liu, said in a statement that based on the lack of charges and her belief that Liu is innocent "we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it".

Peter Walsh, lawyer for JD.com, said: "We are not in position to comment at this time, but we will vigorously defend these meritless claims against the company".

The alleged attack happened while Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a week-long residency as part of the University of Minnesota's doctor of business administration China programme.

Jingyao Liu was a volunteer in the doctorate programme while Richard Liu was there. Her attorney Wil Florin said Jingyao Liu had agreed to be named by the media.

The lawsuit said she was 21 at the time of the alleged attack.

Liu is a prominent member of the Chinese tech elite, with a fortune of US$7.5 billion. Liu built a Beijing electronics shop into JD.com, China's biggest online direct retailer, selling everything from clothes to toys to fresh vegetables. (AP)