A federal judge on Friday awarded Missouri a $24 billion judgment against China in a Covid lawsuit.
The judgment comes five years after then-Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed the initial suit, accusing the communist regime of “obstructing the production, purchase, and export of critical medical equipment, including PPE, during the pandemic.”
“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,” current Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement.
“China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation,” Bailey added. “We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland.”
Named as defendants in Missouri’s lawsuit were: The People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party of China, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the People’s Government of Hubei Province, the People’s Government of Wuhan City, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The court found “that Missouri has provided evidence satisfactory to the Court to establish each Defendant’s liability to Missouri under Count IV of Plaintiff’s Complaint,” Judge Stephen Limbaugh said in his ruling.
While Missouri's original lawsuit previously accused China of hiding information about the origins of the pandemic, the appeals court ruled that the complaint must be limited to allegations of supply hoarding.
Bailey’s office said Friday’s ruling is the largest judgment in Missouri’s history, and is six times larger than the state’s previous largest judgement.
Hey China,
You owe Missouri $24 BILLION. I just won a judgment in court. Pay up — or we start seizing assets and farmland. — Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) March 7, 2025
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