So Far, 14 Coronavirus-Related Lawsuits Filed Against China In US

Even since the novel coronavirus outbreak was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), several individuals, businesses and politicians have come forward to blame China for the global crisis.

There have been several discussions around the Chinese government's responsibility in unleashing the novel coronavirus to the world and the role played by the Chinese Community Party (CCP) in hiding crucial information about the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan from the world.

While some have raised questions and suspicious, others have resorted to the classical and respected American tradition of filing a lawsuit.

So far, as many as 14 lawsuits have been filed against China concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. The full details of the 14 coronavirus-related lawsuits against China are available here.

These lawsuits have been filed by a mix of states, small business owners and individuals. These lawsuits have been filed based on their perception of China is causing the pandemic, which has affected more than 9.5 million people around the globe. The most badly affected country with the maximum numbers of COVID-19 cases so far is the U.S.

While legal experts do not think that these lawsuits would make any serious impact, the Chinese government has constantly argued and protested strongly against the filing of such lawsuits.

The Congress, however, has argued that the American courts should be open to discuss the lawsuits against China. Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, recently referred to one of the lawsuits when asked that how should the country hold China accountable for coronavirus pandemic.

“The Chinese have a lot of assets around the world …. We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We’ll see how it all plays out.”

Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA), sovereign states, including China, are immune to any lawsuit filed against them or any of their agencies in the U.S.

However, in the 14 lawsuits that have been filed so far, the plaintiffs say that the FSIA is not a barrier to the claims that they have made.