• A federal judge ordered China to pay $24 billion to Missouri for hoarding PPE and downplaying COVID-19’s severity during the pandemic.
• Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey plans to seize Chinese-owned assets, including farmland, to enforce the judgment.
• The lawsuit accused China of monopolizing PPE supplies, causing Missouri to overspend $122 million and lose $8 billion in tax revenue.
• China dismissed the ruling as politically motivated and vowed reciprocal countermeasures, while Missouri remains committed to collecting the damages.
• The case, revived in 2023 after initial dismissal, sets a precedent for holding foreign governments accountable for actions impacting U.S. states.

In a landmark ruling, a federal judge has ordered China to pay $24 billion in damages to the state of Missouri for hoarding personal protective equipment (PPE) and downplaying the severity of COVID-19 during the early days of the pandemic.

The decision, handed down by Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Friday, marks a significant victory for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who vowed to seize Chinese-owned assets, including farmland, to collect the unprecedented judgment. The case, initially filed in April 2020, accuses China of exacerbating the pandemic by monopolizing global PPE supplies and misleading the world about the virus’s spread, actions that Missouri claims cost the state billions in lost tax revenue and inflated PPE costs.

Missouri’s lawsuit targeted the Chinese Communist Party, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and several other Chinese entities, alleging that their actions during the pandemic violated state and federal anti-monopoly laws. The state argued that China’s hoarding of PPE caused severe shortages and price hikes, forcing Missouri to spend $122 million more on protective equipment than it otherwise would have. Additionally, the state claimed it lost over $8 billion in tax revenue due to the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Judge Limbaugh ruled that Missouri provided “substantial evidence” to prove China’s liability, stating that the country’s actions were “performed in conjunction with its repeated misrepresentations on the existence, and then scope and human-to-human transmissibility of, the COVID-19 virus.” The judge emphasized that China’s monopolistic practices directly harmed Missouri, leading to “heightened PPE expenditures” and significant economic losses.

China’s response and Missouri’s next steps

China has dismissed the lawsuit as politically motivated and refused to participate in the legal proceedings. In a statement, Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu called the case a “farce” and warned that Beijing would take “reciprocal countermeasures” if the ruling harmed its interests. Despite China’s defiance, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey remains undeterred.

“China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation,” Bailey said. “We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland.” Bailey also hinted at collaborating with the federal government to identify and seize Chinese-owned properties within the state.

The ruling is the latest chapter in a years-long legal battle that began under former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Initially dismissed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which limits U.S. courts’ jurisdiction over foreign governments, the case was revived by an appeals court in January 2023. The court allowed the lawsuit to proceed on the narrower claim of supply hoarding, setting the stage for Friday’s historic judgment.

Bailey hailed the decision as a “landmark victory for Missouri and the United States in the fight to hold China accountable for unleashing COVID-19 on the world.” He emphasized that the $24 billion judgment—six times larger than any previous judgment in Missouri’s history—sends a clear message to foreign governments that the U.S. will not tolerate actions that endanger American lives.

As Missouri prepares to enforce the judgment by targeting Chinese-owned assets, the case raises broader questions about accountability and the global response to future pandemics. While China has dismissed the ruling as baseless, the decision underscores the enduring impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the lengths to which states are willing to go to seek justice. For Missouri, the fight is far from over, but Friday’s ruling represents a significant step toward holding China accountable for its role in one of the most devastating global health crises in modern history.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

FoxNews.com

NYPost.com