Missouri Asks Judge to Reject China's Bid to Undo the $24.5 Billion COVID Judgment
Missouri filed papers in federal court on Monday asking a judge to reject a bid by three Chinese government-linked entities to escape a $24.5 billion judgment tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state argued the defendants waited more than a year after the ruling to appear in U.S. court, that they are 'about six years too late,' and that they are seeking a do-over of facts Missouri already established to the court's satisfaction.
Missouri first sued China's Hubei province and other defendants in April 2020, alleging they monopolized supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), driving up prices and causing economic harm — the first lawsuit of its kind. A federal appeals court revived part of the case in 2024. U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. entered a default judgment in March 2025 after the defendants failed to appear; damages were automatically tripled under federal law from a base finding of $8 billion to $24.5 billion. In August, Hubei province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences asked the judge to set aside the judgment and dismiss the case, arguing the court has no jurisdiction over them and that the default judgment improperly intrudes into foreign affairs. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. and Hubei's lawyers at White & Case did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters reported the Chinese entities are also pursuing a separate case in China seeking apologies and nearly $53 billion in damages from Missouri and several officials.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons 授权图（密苏里州议会大厦，Jefferson City；CC BY-SA 4.0）
