Mingzhou Events/Weibo via YouTube; Bobby Yip/Reuters
A composite image of a screengrab from leaked videos JD.com CEO Richard Liu and his rape accuser Liu Jingyao going to her apartment together, and Liu at another event.
- Richard Liu, the billionaire founder of China's JD.com and one of the richest men in China, is facing a rape accusation in a civil court from a University of Minnesota college student.
- He denies the allegations.
- Liu was arrested last summer but was released shortly after. Minneapolis prosecutors also decided not to launch criminal charges against Liu last December, citing insufficient evidence.
- But in April, the student Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit against the tech CEO detailing the alleged rape, and a mysterious social media account leaked videos from the night of the alleged incident.
- JD.com's stock has reacted swiftly to each twist and turn of the saga.
- Here's everything we know about the allegation and lawsuit.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Richard Liu, the billionaire founder and CEO of JD.com, the Chinese e-commerce giant, faces a rape accusation in civil court from a college student in Minneapolis. The case has roiled his company's share price, called into question his squeaky-clean reputation, and led him to miss numerous high profile gatherings of China's business elite.
Liu is accused of assaulting Liu Jingyao, then a 21-year-old undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, while he was attending a business program there last summer.
Transform talent with learning that worksCapability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More He was arrested on the night of the alleged incident, but was released the next day and permitted to fly home. State prosecutors also dropped charges against him, citing insufficient evidence, last December. As far as the criminal justice system is concerned, Liu is free to go about his business as before.
Representatives of Liu and JD.com have repeatedly denied the sexual allegations, and vowed to fight them.
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP
Liu's mugshot, which was taken shortly after his arrest in Minneapolis in August 2018.
But the saga didn't end there. Last month, Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit against the tech CEO, accusing him of plying her with so much alcohol that she couldn't walk properly, assaulting her in a company limousine, and then raping her in her apartment.
A week later, a mysterious Weibo account uploaded surveillance footage of the two drinking at dinner and going home together. Both sides say the clips vindicate their position.
Scroll down for a full timeline of the case.