Image Source : China Visual

BEIJING, October 4  (TMTPOST) — Chinese billionaire and JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong, known as Richard Liu, has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former University of Minnesota student who accused him of raping her in 2018, attorneys for both sides announced last Saturday.

The settlement was reached just two days before the start of a civil trial, which was scheduled for Monday in the Hennepin County District Court in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“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.”

The settlement came one day after the jury was selected by the plaintiff and the defendant, with Liu himself and his wife Zhang Zetian on scene.

On December 21, 2018, the Hennepin County Prosecutor's Office in Minneapolis announced the results of the investigation into the billionaire's case and decided not to pursue charges. Four months later, Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit against Liu Qiangdong and JD.com in Hennepin County District Court. In nearly three and a half years from September 2019, the legal proceedings carried on despite the waning of public attention to the case in China.

From the beginning to the end, Liu Jingyao accused Richard Liu of intending to harm her, unlawfully restricting her movement, and sexually assaulting her, while Richard Liu and his lawyers insisted that the two had consensual sex. According to the original schedule, the jury would spend the next month assessing the evidence presented by both sides and reaching a verdict under the direction of the judge.