A Missouri federal judge has held the Chinese government accountable for covering up the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and stockpiling protective equipment (PPE), issuing a judgment of over $24 billion.
“This is a landmark victory for Missouri and the United States in the fight to hold China accountable for unleashing COVID-19 on the world,” the Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said, as reported by the New York Post.
The Missouri attorney general’s office initiated legal proceedings in April 2020, during the pandemic’s initial phase, claiming the Chinese government suppressed information about the virus’s presence and transmission whilst restricting global access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
Chinese authorities remained unresponsive to the court proceedings, and their embassy representatives in Washington offered no immediate comment on Friday.
Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri stated that “China was misleading the world about the dangers and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic” and had “engaged in monopolistic actions to hoard PPE.”
These actions, he noted, impeded America’s initial pandemic response and prevented adequate equipment acquisition for medical staff treating virus patients.
According to The New York Times, Judge Limbaugh issued the judgment against China, its ruling Communist Party, local governments, a health agency, and a laboratory within the country.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey stated, “China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation.”
“We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland,” he added.
Earlier in 2020, following the lawsuit’s filing, Chinese officials contested its validity. Foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang described the lawsuit as “very absurd” and “has no factual and legal basis at all.”
However, Limbaugh concluded that Missouri’s legal team demonstrated China’s prior knowledge of the virus’s spread and human-to-human transmission before sharing this information globally.
The judge additionally found that Missouri proved China’s nationalisation of American factories in China for protective equipment production, which restricted export supplies and increased costs in regions like Missouri. He highlighted that COVID-19 ranked as Missouri’s third-leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021.