Richard Liu sues feminist blogger for defamation over her ‘rapist Dong’ Weibo posts
Chinese billionaire and JD.Com founder Richard Liu (刘强东 Liú Qiángdōng), who’s the situation of a rape allegation made using Jingyao Liu, a 21-yr-antique Chinese scholar from the University of Minnesota, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Weibo person @马库斯说, claiming that the feminist blogger’s feedback about his alleged rape case and his ecommerce organization had besmirched his reputation and made an exceptionally negative impact on Chinese society. According to a courtroom filing (in Chinese) mailed to the blogger approximately two weeks ago, Liu is in search of 2 million yuan for monetary harm and 1 million yuan for mental damages. Liu also needs the blogger to delete all Weibo posts that he deemed “fake” or “insulting,” put up an apology on her Weibo account and make it a pinned submit for 30 days.
The lawsuit became filed inside the Beijing Internet court on July 2, approximately three months after the alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit in opposition to Liu in April. The grievance took unique purpose at a string of scandal-associated Weibo posts written using @马库斯说 from October remaining 12 months, while the information broke that Liu changed into arrested on suspicion of rape in Minneapolis, to May, while the dustup reached its zenith as prison groups in the back of the 2 events were leaking evidence that labored to their own blessings.
The first instance blanketed within the court record is a Weibo submit posted on October 14, 2018. Commenting at the pictures of Liu and his wife, Zhāng Zétiān 章泽天, attending the marriage of a British royal member of the family not long after the rape declare, @马库斯说 wrote (in Chinese): “Three factors that raised my eyebrows: First, why have been they so rushed to make a public look together? Second, are ponytails the simplest coiffure that wealthy men who come from a rural history like? And third, does rapist Dong have the guts to tour to America again?” (“Rapist Dong” shares two characters with Richard Liu’s call in Chinese — “to rape,” 强奸 qiángjiān, carries the second individual of Liú Qiángdōng 刘强东, even as “Dong” is the remaining character in Richard Liu’s call.)
Following the first put up regarding Liu, @马库斯说 utilized her platform, which is dedicated to her evaluations about feminist subjects and has greater than 140,000 followers, to touch upon the case’s development now and then. In a recent put-up (in Chinese), the blogger said that “rapist Dong” had done nothing to deserve humans’ empathy. “He thought his wealth entitled him to rape all and sundry. He’s now not illiterate. He graduated from the Renmin University of China. He actively chose to become a person like this,” she lambasted.
In addition to her comments about Liu’s alleged sexual assault, wherein @马库斯说 referred to as Liu “shameless,” “arrogant,” and “predatory,” the blogger additionally fired shots at Liu’s management of his business enterprise, announcing that the billionaire didn’t create any actual fee or make any contribution to society. “JD.Com did create some job opportunities and gave again to Liu’s homeland. But those have been all performed with the aid of investors’ money,” she wrote.
Apparently, these negative remarks directed at Liu made him so indignant that he decided to take felony motion towards @马库斯说. “In the route of 6 months, the defendant published extra than 10 posts that insulted and defamed Liu. These offensive comments broadly circulated on Weibo and incited extreme assault, condemnation, and even boycott in opposition to Liu,” Liu’s criminal group wrote within the filing. “The intention is without a doubt malicious.”
In response to Liu’s claims, the blogger stated today that she had employed an attorney to confront Liu in court docket. “It appears he needs each person who supports Jingyao to close their mouths,” @马库斯说 wrote (in Chinese), including that she had no regrets approximately her previous feedback. “I actually have made my choice to reply and fight this warfare.”
