Coronavirus: Missouri attorney general sues China over pandemic, blaming it for ‘trillions of dollars of losses’
- Attorney General Eric Schmitt says the Chinese government lied to the world about the contagion and silenced whistle-blowers
- Lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for deaths in the state and the economy impact caused by Covid-19
Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government on Tuesday, claiming that Beijing’s denials and cover-ups led to the coronavirus becoming a pandemic that has caused “trillions of dollars” in economic damage.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for Eastern Missouri, alleges that Chinese officials denied the risk of human-to-human transmission, silenced whistle-blowers and failed to contain the outbreak, allowing the contagion to spread globally.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said he was seeking “recovery for the enormous loss of life, human suffering and economic turmoil experienced by all Missourians from the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted the entire world”.
“An appalling campaign of deceit, concealment, misfeasance and inaction by Chinese authorities unleashed this pandemic,” said the complaint, which did not specify the amount of damages sought.
Chinese health officials had evidence of human-to-human transmission in “late December” but denied that this was the case until January 20, the suit alleges.