[welfare]

US firms/citizens filing class action lawsuit against government of China

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200328_18/

Saturday, March 28, 1:30

US citizens and businesses have filed class action suits against the Chinese government, seeking compensation for damages caused by the new coronavirus outbreak.

In the southern state of Florida, a group of individuals and businesses filed a lawsuit with a federal district court on March 12.

The plaintiffs argue that they are suffering huge damages resulting from the Chinese government's mishandling of the outbreak.

A spokesperson at a law firm representing the plaintiffs spoke to NHK on Friday.

The official says the suit was brought by about 1,000 plaintiffs from across the country including individuals infected with the virus and large companies severely affected by the outbreak. The official says the number of plaintiffs is expected to increase.

The official cited, as one of factors behind the lawsuit, remarks by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson who said on Twitter that the coronavirus could have been brought into China by the US military.

The official noted that China caused the virus to spread throughout the world by failing to contain it. He stressed that it's wrong for the country to blame the United States.

Referring to a Chinese doctor who spoke out about the virus on social media, the official said that the Chinese government silenced the doctor and kept the information to itself.

The law firm official says that the Chinese government is responsible, and that the plaintiffs are demanding that it pay for what it has done.

Similar class action lawsuits have been filed in the states of Texas and Nevada against the Chinese government as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country.