Small business owners in California, Nevada and Florida have filed class-action lawsuits against China for lost income caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, charging that the communist country covered up the outbreak of the deadly virus. And now, states are suing China, too, saying the Chinese “lied to the world” about the virus.
Earlier this month, a group of small businesses in California — including Cardiff Prestige Property, Little Saigon Chamber of Commerce, First Premier X and others — filed a lawsuit against China, the city of Wuhan, where the virus reportedly first emerged, and the country’s Health Commission.
That lawsuit claims China knew long before it announced to the world that a virus was spreading across the country and did not inform the World Health Organization (WHO) or neighboring nations in a timely way. The suit seeks a whopping $8 trillion for lost income and other damages.
Meanwhile, a “20-page complaint filed in federal court in Florida last month detailed how China censored doctors as early as January about the virus, knew it spread human to human but did not disclose the information immediately, and attempted to conceal the country’s real number of COVID-19 deaths and cases,” The Washington Times reported on Sunday.
Class-action lawsuits against China seeking retribution for damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are being filed in courts across the country, reflecting mounting outrage over the conduct of the communist regime in Beijing.
A Harris poll released this month revealed bipartisan distrust among Americans against the Chinese government over its statements about the coronavirus pandemic, and a Pew Research Center poll last month found Americans’ unfavorable view of China is at a record high.
A Las Vegas law firm has also filed a class action lawsuit against China, charging that the country is part of a “totalitarian government system” that engaged in a cover-up, which allowed the virus to spread.
Now states are getting in on the act. Missouri’s attorney general last week filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government over its handling of the virus, charging that China’s slow response to the virus caused devastating economic losses for the state. The suit seeks billions of dollars in restitution.
“The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease,” state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement. “They must be held accountable for their actions.”
“COVID-19 has done irreparable damage to countries across the globe, causing sickness, death, economic disruption, and human suffering. In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real — thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table,” Schmitt said.
China is rejecting the claims in the lawsuits.
The lawsuit from Missouri “has no factual or legal basis” and “it only invites ridicule,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday, according to an official transcript of a regular press briefing, NBC News reported.
Geng said the Chinese government “has been nothing but open, transparent and responsible” in informing the World Health Organization, relevant countries and the U.S. about the pandemic and related information.
“Such (a) lawsuit is nothing short of frivolous litigation which defies the basic theory of the law,” said Geng.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch also filed suit against the Chinese government. The suit “allows Mississippians to seek justice and hold China accountable. Because if you look at what they’ve done, this has been a very malicious … a very dangerous cover-up,” she said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“The coronavirus has killed. The coronavirus has caused serious medical damage and harm across our country, our state. It’s destroyed our businesses, and it’s functionally altered the way Americans will live,” Fitch said. “We have to rebuild. … We see the damages, the issues that they [China] have caused Mississippians. So I’m bringing the suit on behalf of Mississippians.”
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