On August 31, 2018, Liu was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the charge of "criminal sexual conduct".[1][2] The complainant is a 21-year-old Chinese student who attended a dinner party with Liu on the night of August 30.[3] After the party ended at 9:30 PM, the complainant and Liu returned to her apartment, where she alleges the rape occurred at 1:00 AM.[4][5] Liu was released pending further investigation and returned to Beijing.[6]
On September 2, 2018, JD.com issued a statement that the company would take legal action against "false reporting or rumors" after the local police found "no substance to the claim against Mr. Liu".[6][7][8][9] Three American law firms have alleged that this statement was misleading and announced a class-action lawsuits in response.[10][11] Liu's attorneys denied any wrongdoing[3] and claimed that the charges are not supported by evidence.[12]
On December 21, 2018, The office of the Hennepin County Attorney said they had not found enough evidence to charge Liu.[13][14]
- ^ Hufford, Austen; Lin, Liza (2018-09-04). "JD.com Founder Liu Had Been Arrested on Suspicion of Rape". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "Hennepin County > Sheriff's Jail Roster". www4.co.hennepin.mn.us. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
wsj2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Qing, Koh Gui (2018-09-24). "The night a Chinese billionaire was accused of rape in Minnesota". Reuters. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ^ Qing, Koh Gui. "The night a Chinese billionaire was accused of rape in Minnesota". U.S. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
nytimeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Emily Rauhala (2018-09-02). "Chinese billionaire under investigation over sexual assault allegations in Minneapolis". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "JD.com CEO Arrested in U.S. For Alleged Sexual Misconduct". Time. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ Cadell, Cate; Wu, Kane (September 2, 2018). "JD.com CEO released after U.S. arrest; firm says he was falsely accused". Reuters. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ Chen, Celia; Delaney, Robert (2018-09-05). "JD.com faces US share-price slide lawsuits in wake of Richard Liu's arrest". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ Zhecheng, Qian (2018-09-05). "Amid Rape Allegations, US Law Firms Plan Suit Against JD.com". Sixth Tone. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "Rape allegations against JD founder at odds with evidence: Lawyer". AsiaOne. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
- ^ "JD.com Chief Richard Liu Will Not Be Charged With Sexual Assault". The New York Times. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "JD.com chief Liu Qiangdong will not face rape charges". BBC. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "Woman Sues Chinese Billionaire Liu for Alleged Rape". The New York Times. April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.