Missouri’s ongoing legal battle tied to the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an international turn, with Chinese authorities filing a lawsuit after the state moved to involve federal officials in collecting on a massive U.S. court judgment.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said this week that China has filed a complaint in the Intermediate People’s Court of Wuhan, accusing Missouri of reputational harm and demanding both a public apology and financial compensation. According to Hanaway’s office, the Chinese filing seeks damages exceeding $50 billion, plus legal fees, and reserves the right to pursue additional claims.
Hanaway characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to delay or deter Missouri’s efforts to enforce a U.S. court ruling that awarded the state roughly $25 billion in damages. The judgment stems from a case Missouri brought alleging that Chinese entities stockpiled personal protective equipment during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening shortages for states and healthcare providers.
The Chinese government has long rejected the Missouri lawsuit, calling it politically motivated and outside U.S. legal authority. Chinese officials have consistently argued that actions taken during the pandemic are not subject to jurisdiction in American courts and have said they do not recognize the ruling.
Missouri recently escalated the dispute by asking the U.S. State Department to formally notify China that the state intends to pursue assets linked in whole or in part to the Chinese government in order to satisfy the judgment. That move, state officials say, prompted the filing in Wuhan.
The case itself followed an unusual legal path. A federal district judge initially dismissed Missouri’s claims in 2022, ruling that the state could not sue China, its Communist Party, or related government bodies. However, a federal appeals court later allowed a narrow portion of the lawsuit to proceed, specifically the allegation involving the hoarding of protective medical supplies.
When Chinese defendants did not appear in the case, the court accepted Missouri’s damage estimates, which exceeded $8 billion, and tripled that figure under federal law. Interest was also added, bringing the total judgment to roughly $25 billion.
Legal scholars have questioned whether Missouri will ever be able to collect the judgment, citing federal laws that generally shield foreign governments from seizure of assets.
The lawsuit was initially filed in 2020 by then–Attorney General Eric Schmitt and later pursued by Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Hanaway, a former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker, assumed responsibility for the case after being appointed attorney general by Gov. Mike Kehoe.
According to Hanaway’s office, the Chinese complaint accuses Missouri and its former attorneys general of spreading false and discriminatory claims that damaged China’s international standing. Copies of the filing were linked in the state’s announcement, though independent verification of the complaint remains limited.
The dispute now stands as a rare example of a U.S. state and a foreign government pursuing parallel legal actions across international courts, with uncertain implications for diplomacy, enforcement, and future state-led litigation involving foreign nations.
This report is based on public court records and statements released by Missouri officials, as well as reporting by national news organizations, including the Associated Press
