On March 7, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced a historic $24 billion judgment against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This judgment is six times larger than any previous in Missouri’s history.
The case, initially filed in 2020 by then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt, accused China of obstructing the production, purchase, and export of critical medical equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE). The appeals court later ruled that the lawsuit must be limited to accusations of supply hoarding after originally including claims that China hid information about the virus’s origins.
Missouri officials have indicated they may seize Chinese-owned farmland and other assets within the state as part of efforts to enforce the ruling.
In his decision, Judge Stephen Limbaugh stated, “Court finds that Missouri has provided evidence satisfactory to the Court to establish each Defendant’s liability to Missouri under Count IV of Plaintiff’s Complaint. The Court therefore enters a judgment against Defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of $24,488,825,457.00, plus post-judgment interest.”
The lawsuit named multiple Chinese entities as defendants, including the People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party of China, the National Health Commission of China, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the governments of Hubei Province and Wuhan City, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“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…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,” Bailey said in a statement.
Attorney General Bailey stated that Missouri plans to collect the judgment by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including farmland, and may collaborate with the Trump administration to identify these assets.
