Missouri Sues China for ‘Deceit’ Over Extent of Outbreak
- Suit comes as Republicans increasingly seek to blame China
- Beijing protected from U.S. civil suits by sovereign immunity
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Missouri sued the Chinese government, claiming it covered up the extent of its coronavirus epidemic through an “appalling campaign of deceit” that led to the death and suffering of state residents.
The suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday by Attorney General Eric Schmitt, alleges that China misled the public about the spread of the virus and refused to cooperate with the global health community. There are more than 5,800 infections in the state, and at least 177 people have died.
The suit “will probably be dismissed fairly quickly,” said St. John’s University law professor Anthony Sabino, citing the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which makes it very hard to successfully sue a foreign government.