A Chinese billionaire has settled the rape lawsuit filed by an ex-University of Minnesota student. Richard Liu was accused of sexually assaulting the student in a Minneapolis apartment after a boozy night out. Attorneys of both parties revealed that Richard will not face charges for the alleged rape as Jingyao Liu, 25, and Richard reached an undisclosed settlement.
Richard, who founded the e-commerce giant JD.com and is a popular internet entrepreneur in China, was accused by Jingyao of raping her in 2018.
Jingyao Accused Richard Of Raping Her In 2018
The alleged encounter transpired after the pair attended a booze-filled dinner with wealthy Chinese executives where Jingyao Liu, then a 21-year-old senior tasked with entertaining the staffers, was the only woman, according to Daily Mail.
Richard Plied Her With Drinks
According to the civil suit, Richard plied her with drinks and then forced himself upon her in his vehicle after dinner, later raped the girl in her apartment.
Richard Denies Rape Accusation
Richard has denied the accusation of rape. This year, he stepped down from his China-based company due to increased surveillance by the Chinese government in the technology sector. Both parties have underlined that there was some misunderstanding in the issue.
Both Parties Say There Was A Misunderstanding
A joint statement from attorneys for both sides released Saturday evening, labeled the encounter - some of which was captured on apartment building surveillance cameras - 'a misunderstanding that has consumed substantial public attention and brought profound suffering to the parties and their families', according to the Mail.
The matter was scheduled to be heard before the court on Monday with a jury of five women and seven men. But after the settlement, the hearing was called off.
Underlining that both parties agreed to set aside their differences, the billionaire and the girl in the statement noted that they settled their legal dispute in order to avoid further pain and suffering caused by the lawsuit.
"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," read the statement released by both parties on Saturday.
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