MINNEAPOLIS – A Chinese billionaire, one of many richest folks on the earth, is heading to trial in Minneapolis to defend himself towards allegations that he raped a former University of Minnesota pupil after an evening of dinner and drinks in 2018.
Richard Liu, the founder and former CEO of e-commerce large JD.com, has denied raping the girl, and prosecutors didn’t file legal fees. The lady, Jingyao Liu, sued in civil courtroom, alleging she was coerced to drink earlier than Richard Liu groped her in a limousine and raped her in her condo.
Both are anticipated to testify, and will probably be as much as a jury to determine who’s telling the reality. Jury choice begins Thursday, with opening statements Monday.
“I think our client’s credibility is one of the strongest parts of what the jury is going to hear,” mentioned Wil Florin, an legal professional for Jingyao Liu. “The incredible courage and fortitude that this young lady has shown is truly admirable.”
Diane Doolittle, an legal professional for Richard Liu, mentioned that the girl has modified her story and that the proof will clear her shopper’s identify.
“We are looking forward to presenting the evidence, presenting the truth, so that the world will know that Mr. Liu is fully and completely innocent of these allegations against him,” she mentioned.
The lady alleges the assault occurred in 2018 whereas Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a weeklong residency within the University of Minnesota’s physician of enterprise administration China program, geared towards high-level executives in China.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Jingyao Liu, a Chinese citizen, was on the college on a pupil visa and was a volunteer in this system on the time. The Associated Press doesn’t typically identify folks alleging sexual assault, however Jingyao Liu has agreed to be recognized publicly.
Richard Liu and Jingyao Liu should not associated. Jingyao Liu was 21 on the time; Richard Liu was 46.
Richard Liu is a celeb in China, a part of a technology of entrepreneurs who created the nation’s web, e-commerce, cell phone and different expertise industries for the reason that late Nineties. Forbes estimated his wealth at $11.5 billion.
Richard Liu, who stepped down as CEO of JD.com this yr amid elevated authorities scrutiny of China’s expertise business, was arrested on suspicion of felony rape, however prosecutors by no means filed legal fees, saying the case had “profound evidentiary problems.”
Jingyao Liu sued Richard Liu and JD.com in 2019, alleging sexual assault and battery, together with false imprisonment.
The case drew widespread consideration at a time when the #MeToo motion was gaining traction in China. Richard Liu’s supporters and opponents waged aggressive public relations campaigns on Chinese social media; censors shut down some accounts that supported Jingyao Liu for “violating regulations.”
Jingyao Liu says in her lawsuit that she needed to withdraw from lessons in fall 2018 and search counseling and remedy. Her legal professional says she has since graduated however has post-traumatic stress dysfunction. She seeks compensatory damages to cowl medical payments, emotional misery and ache and struggling, and Judge Edward Wahl dominated she may additionally search punitive damages from Richard Liu.
She is searching for greater than $50,000, a normal determine that have to be listed in Minnesota if a plaintiff intends to hunt something above that quantity. She is anticipated to ask a jury to award way more.
According to the lawsuit, on the night time of the alleged assault, Richard Liu and different executives went to a Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis, and one of many males invited Jingyao Liu at Richard Liu’s request. Jingyao Liu felt coerced to drink because the highly effective males toasted her, and Richard Liu mentioned she would dishonor him if she didn’t take part, she mentioned in her lawsuit.
According to textual content messages reviewed by The Associated Press and Jingyao Liu’s interviews with police, she mentioned that after the dinner, Richard Liu pulled her right into a limousine and groped her regardless of her protests. She mentioned he raped her at her condo. She texted a good friend: “I begged him don’t. But he didn’t listen.”
After police went to her condo, Jingyao Liu advised one officer, “I was raped but not that kind of rape,” in keeping with police. When requested to clarify, she modified the topic and mentioned Richard Liu was well-known and he or she was afraid. She advised the officer that the intercourse was “spontaneous” and that she didn’t need police to become involved.
Officers launched Richard Liu as a result of “it was unclear if a crime had actually taken place,” in keeping with police. In an interview later with an investigator, Richard Liu mentioned that the intercourse was consensual and that the girl “enjoyed the whole process very much.”
According to police, Jingyao Liu advised a sergeant she needed to speak with Richard Liu’s legal professional and threatened to go to the media if she didn’t. Richard Liu’s former legal professional recorded the telephone name, through which Jingyao Liu mentioned that she did not need the case to be within the newspaper and that “I just need payment money and apologize and that’s all.”
FILE – Visitors sporting face masks discuss close to a show for Chinese on-line retailer JD.com on the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2022.
That telephone name will likely be allowed as proof within the trial. The jurors may even be advised that they could presume any digital messages deleted by Jingyao Liu contained data unfavorable to her. Both pretrial rulings have been thought-about wins for the protection.
Surveillance movies from the restaurant, its exterior and the halls of the girl’s condo advanced will likely be proven at trial. Richard Liu’s attorneys have mentioned the video exhibits that Jingyao Liu doesn’t look like intoxicated or in misery, as she initially claimed, and that she modified her story after the video surfaced.
She says in her lawsuit that she went to her condo constructing with Richard Liu to be well mannered, and that she believed he was merely strolling her to the door. Florin, Jingyao Liu’s legal professional, intends to play physique digital camera video from police that he says exhibits his shopper feared Richard Liu as a result of he’s highly effective.
“Insanely wealthy men, they always have the card that they play: ‘Well, I’m being accused of this because I’m wealthy,'” Florin mentioned.
“What happened that night was an evening of consensual sex,” Doolittle, considered one of Richard Liu’s attorneys, mentioned. “Mr. Liu regrets that, and he regrets being unfaithful to his wife.”
The burden of proof is decrease than in a legal trial, and jurors want solely discover a preponderance of proof in both facet’s favor, mentioned Chris Madel, a Minneapolis legal professional who is not concerned within the case.
If jurors proceed to contemplating punitive damages, that portion of the case requires a special customary of proof. To award punitive damages, jurors should discover “clear and convincing evidence” that Richard Liu “deliberately disregarded the rights or safety of others,” Madel mentioned.
After circumstances like this, Madel mentioned, regardless of how a lot proof is offered, jurors will usually say: “We just listened to him, we listened to her, and we made our minds up.”