Another Law Firm Sues China

A Las Vegas personal injury firm has filed a class action lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China and a number of Chinese entities, including  the city government of Wuhan, on grounds of negligence and public nuisance. The complaint alleges a coverup, including a “campaign of intimidating and arresting any Chinese doctors, scientists, attorneys and/or reporters who tried to alert the public” re the coronavirus. Named plaintiffs are five businesses, including a restaurant, a flower business, two real estate companies and a mobile medical CPR company. According to the complaint, more than a million small businesses in the United States have either had to close or substantially shrink. In its article about the lawsuit, the Las Vegas Review-Journal cites a rejoinder of sorts in the course of a recent Twitter exchange between the U.S. State Department and a Chinese official. “On Jan 25 President Trump tweeted to appreciate and thank China’s efforts & transparency,” the spokesperson from Chinese Foreign Ministry tweeted. “The same day the US State Dept started to withdraw its consulate in Wuhan. On Feb 2 the travel ban was applied to China. What have you done since then? Scapegoating China doesn’t help.” At least one other class action lawsuit targeting China and Chinese agencies has been filed, by a law firm in Florida. Regarding the Las Vegas suit, an attorney from the plaintiff firm said in a news conference that he considered any judgment would be collectible because China has trillions of dollars in assets in the United States.