The ruling comes five years after former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed the original lawsuit in 2020
A federal judge ruled in favor of Missouri on Friday, granting the state a $24 billion judgment against China’s Communist Party over allegations that it hoarded protective medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Missouri Attorney General Vows to Seize Chinese-Owned Assets
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called the ruling a "landmark victory", emphasizing the state’s commitment to holding China accountable.
"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," Bailey said in a statement.
He also confirmed that China failed to appear in court, but that the absence would not prevent the state from pursuing damages.
"China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation," he stated. "We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland."
Largest Judgment in Missouri’s History
According to Bailey’s office, the $24 billion ruling is six times larger than any previous judgment in Missouri’s legal history. The decision is expected to set a legal precedent for similar lawsuits aimed at holding China accountable for pandemic-related damages.
As the five-year anniversary of COVID-19 approaches, Americans remain divided on whether the virus continues to pose a threat, reigniting debates over pandemic response policies, economic recovery, and global accountability.
"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," Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Judge Stephen Limbaugh ruled in favor of Missouri, stating that the state had provided sufficient evidence to establish China’s liability for damages related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Court finds that Missouri has provided evidence satisfactory to establish each Defendant’s liability," Limbaugh wrote in his ruling. "The Court therefore enters a judgment against Defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of $24,488,825,457.00, plus postjudgment interest."
China and Its Agencies Named as Defendants
The lawsuit targeted multiple Chinese government entities, including:
- The People’s Republic of China
- The Communist Party of China
- The National Health Commission of China
- The Ministry of Emergency Management of China
- The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China
- The People’s Government of Hubei Province
- The People’s Government of Wuhan City
- The Wuhan Institute of Virology
- The Chinese Academy of Sciences
The historic lawsuit accused China of hoarding protective medical supplies and failing to contain the outbreak, leading to massive economic and health damages in Missouri and beyond.
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Epidemic control workers wear PPE as they walk in the street by a closed shop near a community with residents under health monitoring for COVID-19 Dec. 4, 2022, in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Missouri Attorney General Warns China: ‘Pay Up or We Seize Assets’
Following the $24 billion court ruling against China, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey took to social media to send a direct message to the Chinese government.
"Hey China, You owe Missouri $24 BILLION. I just won a judgment in court. Pay up — or we start seizing assets and farmland," Bailey wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday.
Missouri’s Legal Battle Against China Spans Five Years
The landmark ruling stems from a lawsuit originally filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in 2020. The suit accused China of:
- Obstructing the production, purchase, and export of critical medical supplies
- Hoarding personal protective equipment (PPE) while the rest of the world faced shortages
- Failing to contain COVID-19, leading to massive global health and economic damages
After a lower court initially dismissed the case, a court of appeals overturned the decision in January, allowing Missouri to proceed. Now, with a final ruling in its favor, Missouri is actively seeking ways to collect damages, including the seizure of Chinese-owned farmland.
The ruling has set a legal precedent, raising questions about international accountability and how the U.S. can enforce financial judgments against foreign governments.