JD.com founder's woes continue as he faces alleged rape lawsuit
JD.com founder and CEO Richard Liu will face a lawsuit from the woman who accused the Chinese billionaire of raping her after a dinner party in the US.
JD.com founder and CEO Richard Liu will face a lawsuit for alleged rape / JD.com
The incident, which occurred in Minneapolis in August last year, saw Liu arrested and subsequently cleared of felony rape charges after US prosecutors cited insufficient evidence to follow through with charges against Liu.
Liu, who is known as Liu Qiangdong in China, was accused of rape by a 21-year-old University of Minnesota student, Jingyao Liu. The incident is alleged to have happened after a dinner party hosted by Liu at a Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis.
The lawsuit alleges Liu coerced the alleged victim to drink at the dinner and then made advances despite her protests and raped her. She is seeking damages of more than $50,000.
Liu maintained his innocence throughout the police investigation and apologised to his family for his interactions with the woman.
The incident caused huge damage to JD.com with shares dropping more than 7% and stocks reaching a 19 month low for the company. Reports at the time also revealed JD.com shareholders were considering class action lawsuits.
The company announced a widespread restructure at the end of last year to allay investor concerns following the incident. The restructure, along with China's economic slowdown, has also given way to widespread layoffs across the company.