What changed
The Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court has begun hearing a defamation case brought by Wuhan’s municipal government, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences against Missouri and current and former attorneys general Eric Schmitt, Andrew Bailey and Catherine Hanaway.
The plaintiffs allege that Missouri’s pandemic lawsuit fabricated claims, spread false information and used discriminatory language. They want a public apology, restored reputations and damages; the reported compensation demand is 356.44 billion yuan ($53.44 billion).
Why it matters
This turns a legal dispute that began in Missouri into a direct courtroom response from Wuhan. The Chinese plaintiffs say Missouri’s April 2020 case caused reputational and financial harm, while Missouri had sought damages from Hubei and other Chinese defendants over the pandemic.
The case now puts both sides’ claims into separate legal systems, with no clear answer yet on jurisdiction, procedure or how Missouri’s defendants will respond. The Missouri attorney general’s office had not immediately commented.
The striking feature is the scale of the counterclaim. If the reported figure is pursued, the case is not merely asking for a correction or apology; it is demanding compensation on a level that would make the financial claim itself a central part of the dispute.
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