An agreement between the parties puts an end to a notorious case of

Although it was held in the United States, it was called to be the trial of the year of the.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
03 October 2022 Monday 10:30
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An agreement between the parties puts an end to a notorious case of

Although it was held in the United States, it was called to be the trial of the year of the

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the lawyers for both said the incident resulted "in a misunderstanding" that attracted public attention and caused deep discomfort to the parties and their families. Therefore, they agreed to "put aside their differences and resolve their legal dispute to avoid further pain and suffering." They did not offer details of the agreement reached.

The events date back to August 30, 2018. At that time, the young woman was one of the volunteers to organize an executive program held in Minnesota (USA). On the final day, she was invited to dinner at a table with 15 top officials, all of them middle-aged men, including Richard Liu, founder of e-sales giant JD.com.

According to her account, during the evening she was repeatedly pressured to drink alcohol. Back home, she reported that the tycoon (12,000 million dollars, according to Bloomberg) sexually harassed her in the limousine, who then accompanied him to her apartment and, once inside, raped her despite showing resistance. The accused, who was arrested shortly after and released in less than 24 hours, always maintained that it was she who invited him in and that the sexual relationship was consensual.

At the time, the prosecution refused to press charges citing lack of evidence. In April 2019, the young woman filed a civil lawsuit in a Minnesota court for rape and asked for compensation of at least $50,000. That complaint caused a torrent of hate messages and threats on the networks, where many questioned her version. Her lawyers say that she has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and that she does not want to return to China because she fears repercussions.

The news of the agreement between the two caught Chinese citizens by surprise, who have followed the case very closely. In a matter of hours, it became the dominant topic on platforms like Weibo, the local Twitter, where it accumulates millions of comments and visits.

For those who supported the tycoon, the fact that she agreed to sign an agreement - she had previously said she would not - confirms that she was only looking for fame and money. Feminists do not see it that way, who argue that the defendant has plenty of resources to continue with the trial and interpret his signature as an implicit admission of guilt.

Beyond how the process would have been or who would have won, many wonder how this agreement will affect the movement

“Jingyao wanted to fight to the end, but it is very difficult. We are very grateful to him for his public work in helping to raise awareness of rape myths and the culture of victim blaming. His case allows us to continue fighting,” said Chinese activist and lawyer Liang Xiaowen.