Chinese tech tycoon settles ‘rape’ suit

Chinese billionaire Richard Liu, founder of e-commerce giant JD.com, has settled a lawsuit with a woman who accused him of raping her while she was in college — with both sides calling the 2018 incident a “misunderstanding.”

The settlement was announced by lawyers from both sides late Saturday, putting an end to a legal battle that summoned widespread attention across China. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Liu was accused of raping the University of Minnesota undergrad after a night of dinner and drinks with a group of wealthy Chinese execs.

Criminal charges were never filed by prosecutors after he was originally arrested by authorities.

Liu denied raping the accuser, Jingyao Liu. The settlement was reached two days before a civil trial in Minneapolis was expected to begin.

“The incident between Ms. Jingyao Liu and Mr. Richard Liu in Minnesota in 2018 resulted in a misunderstanding that has consumed substantial public attention and brought profound suffering to the parties and their families,” the joint statement said.

“Today, the parties agreed to set aside their differences, and settle their legal dispute in order to avoid further pain and suffering caused by the lawsuit.”

Liu stepped down as CEO of JD.com earlier this year following heightened scrutiny of China’s tech industry.

In a separate statement from Liu, he apologized and thanked his wife, Zhang Zetian, who is prominent on Chinese social media.

“Without her, I would not be able to survive to this day,” Liu wrote. “I wish everyone a better tomorrow!”

Key entrepreneur

Liu is worth about $10.9 billion, according to Forbes, and is credited as one of a generation of entrepreneurs who created China’s Internet, e-commerce and mobile phone industries.

He was released a day after being arrested on suspicion of rape in August 2018 after Minnesota prosecutors said the case had “profound evidentiary problems.”

Jingyao Liu then sued him and his company in 2019 at a time when the #MeToo movement was gaining traction in China.

She alleged the attack occurred while Liu, who is in his 40s, was in town for a week as part of a residency with the university’s business school program aimed at high-level executives from China.

Jingyao Liu, a Chinese citizen and volunteer with the program, was invited out with the top executives to a Japanese restaurant at the behest of the billionaire and was pressured to drink as he told her she would dishonor him if she didn’t join in the fun, the lawsuit claimed.

She was 21 at the time of the alleged incident and at the university on a student visa. The two are not related.

Jingyao Liu’s legal team said she withdrew from classes in fall 2018 and required counseling and treatment following the incident.