Mississippi plans to sue China over COVID-19, following Missouri’s lead, which was the first state to file suit earlier this week.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said she wants to hold China accountable for its “malicious and dangerous acts that caused death, health injuries, and serious economic loss from the COVID-19 crisis.”
“Too many Mississippians have suffered as a result of China’s cover-up,” she said. “They must not be allowed to act with impunity. Mississippians deserve justice and I will seek that in court.”
The lawsuit will mirror Missouri’s lawsuit filed earlier this week, which aims to seek damages under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act for losses suffered in the state during the pandemic.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the Missouri lawsuit, saying the Communist Party was straight forward about the virus.
“This kind of lawsuit has no factual or legal basis. It only invites ridicule,” said Greg Shuang, a spokesman who spoke to reporters.
He called the action “frivolous,” saying the U.S. courts can’t reach the Chinese government.
“Such frivolous litigation will not help the US with its epidemic response, nor will it contribute to the global cooperation in this regard,” he said. “The right course of action for the US side is to dismiss this abusive lawsuit.”
• Stephen Dinan contributed to this report.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.