Missouri became the first U.S. state to sue China as it cited a dreadful "campaign of deceit" that's related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. GOP state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, on Tuesday, filed the civil lawsuit in federal court claiming, the Chinese officials are held liable for the enormous suffering, economic losses, and death they inflicted on the entire world, which includes the Missourians.

According to Schmitt, the Chinese administration lied to the whole world about the contagious nature, not to mention the danger of COVID-19. More so, he said, China "silenced whistleblower" and did not do much to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Attorney General is also seeking damages saying, China must be held liable for its actions. He added that China's Communist Party and laboratories, which were all involved in the concealment, misrepresentations, and retaliation to hide the seriousness and gravity of the infectious disease.

Incidentally, as of this writing, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 5,963 and 215 deaths statewide. 

The Effect of Virus in Missouri

Specifically, in this state, the effect of COVID-19 is very real. Here, as earlier mentioned, thousands have been tested positive, and many have also died. Not only that, Schmitt said, but families have also been parted "from their loved ones dying loved ones.

Also, because of COVID-19, small businesses are closing their doors, and people who live paycheck to paycheck struggle a lot just to put food on their table.

The Lawsuit

The lawsuit accuses the Chinese administration of making this pandemic worse because it allegedly hoards the personal protective equipment like the masks, among others.

According to Constitutional Law professor Jonathan Turley from George Washington University, such lawsuits are remarkably complicated, especially that "China is protected by sovereign immunity."

Specifically, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 prolongs blanket immunity to nations from most court cases in the U.S. The exceptions are "rather narrow and hardly accepted by the U.S. courts," which read this Act as evidently conveying the intent of discouraging such lawsuits.

China Deceived the Public

Aside from the damages, Missouri's lawsuit also seeks to hold the government of China accountable for campaigning for deceit, misfeasance, inaction, and concealment by the authorities that unleashed the pandemic.

According to the suit, during the crucial weeks of the initial spreading, the Chinese authorities allegedly deceived the public, blocked critical information, denied human-to-human communication in the face of growing evidence, and arrested the whistleblowers.

More so, they were also said to have destroyed critical medical studies, allowed exposure of millions of people to the infection, and hoarded PPE that caused the now global pandemic that, according to the suit, "was not necessary and could have been prevented."

This motion of Missouri comes following almost two dozen GOP lawmakers asked the U.S. government to move against China on Monday, in the International Court of Justice. The said legislators said China dishonored the 2005 International Health Regulations, again, by suppressing crucial information about the outbreak and COVID-19 itself.

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