Five Floridian plaintiffs have filed a class action lawsuit challenging the Chinese government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
The coronavirus class action lawsuit was filed by Logan Alters, Marta Reyes, Lawrence Wood, Stephen Clyne, and The Pitching Lab, also known as TBT Training.
The five plaintiffs argue that it was due, at least in part, to the Chinese government’s mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak that the issue turned into a worldwide pandemic.
They seek to represent two Classes of people affected by the outbreak — a Class of all those in the United States affected by the outbreak, and a subclass of parties in Florida affected by the outbreak.
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None of the plaintiffs have caught the coronavirus, but according to the pandemic class action lawsuit, they were still injured by the outbreak.
The coronavirus class action claims that people throughout the state of Florida, and people throughout the country were injured even if they have not been infected. They say the virus has taken an economic toll on the United States, and has caused panic, emotional distress and other injuries throughout the country.
Specifically, the plaintiffs have filed claims against the People’s Republic of China, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the People’s Government of Hubei Province, and the People’s Government of City of Wuhan, China.
These governmental bodies were reportedly in charge of overseeing the response to the coronavirus pandemic in China, and within the city of Wuhan in the Hubei Province, where the outbreak originated.
The Floridians note that it has not been confirmed how the outbreak spread to what it is today, but regardless, the Chinese government did not handle the issue correctly. They also claim that their actions allowed many people around the world to be affected.
The coronavirus class action lawsuit states that a new strain of the virus, known as COVID-19 originated in China in December 2019, and quickly spread throughout the world.
The Floridians present one theory alleging that COVID-19 spread from a bio-weapon lab and then into a nearby marketplace. Allegedly, there are only two bio-weapon labs in the People’s Republic of China, and one of them is the National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
According to the coronavirus pandemic class action lawsuit, this laboratory is close to the marketplace where COVID-19 originated. This laboratory is reportedly China’s only “level 4” microbiology lab, dealing with “the deadliest of viruses.”
The COVID-19 outbreak states that one theory is that COVID-19 escaped from the Wuhan lab because of lax security, or because Chinese researchers unlawfully sold lab animals to the marketplace nearby.
Researchers in China have allegedly been known to do this instead of cremating them, as is required by Chinese law.
No matter how the disease spread, the Florida residents argue the Chinese government did not respond appropriately to the outbreak.
Allegedly, the government put the safety of people around the world at risk, choosing instead to act “from their own self interest” and to “protect their place as a super-power.”
The government did not report the outbreak as quickly as they could have, underreported cases, and did not contain the outbreak effectively, even though they knew how serious the outbreak was, the plaintiffs say.
Elaborating on these allegations, the Floridians argue that the Chinese government censored eight doctors on Jan. 1, 2020 from speaking about the outbreak and the danger associated with it. The coronavirus outbreak class action argues that even after the first person died of a COVID-19 infection on the same day, the government concealed the true dangers of the coronavirus.
The plaintiffs state that the Chinese government told the public the outbreak was under control. However, the government allegedly knew the virus was spread easily from human to human by Jan. 3 but concealed this information until Jan. 20, by which point the disease had already spread beyond China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he had taken measures to contain the virus on Jan. 7, but he reportedly lied in saying this, and did not take steps to contain the virus until later in the month.
Additionally, the Florida residents argue that the Chinese government waited 17 days to share the 19 genome sequence of coronavirus with peers around the world, after it had been discovered by Chinese researchers.
The plaintiffs claim that the Chinese government downplayed the severity of the virus by saying that deaths associated with coronavirus were instead caused by pneumonia.
The coronavirus response class action lawsuit says that this has caused injury to United States and potential Floridian Class Members not only in the form of infection by the virus, but in the form of fear, lost social contact, financial injury, emotional distress, and more.
The Class Members are represented by Matthew T. Moore and Vincent J. Duffy of The Law Offices of Berman & Berman PA.
The Coronavirus Outbreak Class Action Lawsuit is Logan Alters, et al. v. People’s Republic of China, et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-21108-UU, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.
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305 thoughts onCoronavirus Class Action Blames China for Pandemic
Add me too, please! Work and income definitely affected, and my special needs son is anxious like you wouldn’t believe.
Add me too!!
I’m missing work right now because of this mess. Please add me.
Add me please
I would like to see about possibly filing a lawsuit myself. I work in a hospital in food service. I have to come face to face with patients who were already in the hospital with other issues besides the Corona Virus. How do I know these people weren’t exposed to the virus before being admitted to the hospital? My hospital is taking precautionary measures by testing the employees & the patients who need to be seen in the Emergency Department. But I was told that I do not need to wear a mask when working, which I understand that a paper mask won’t help 100%, but I’m jeopardizing my life & possibly other’s lives as well. I am not paid enough for this. I should not have to worry about being exposed to this virus because my job requires it.
Add me please!!
Please add me as well as my family to this suit. Because of the Chinese goverment keeping this a secret and lieing about what was really happening this has ended up by putting not only our lives in danger but our family and friends as well. It has cause nation wide panic in which has led to our schools not only being shut down but all other activities to be shut down or canceled. I live in a small town and what very few stores we do have available to shop at there shelves are empty and not enough supplys are being brought in for us. There for many locals have no supplys nor food to feed there familys. Almost all of the buisness have closed there doors as well as our resturants and the banks are drive through windows are available. This has put alot of anxity and mental stress on not only myself but most of all my 12 yr old daughter who now has no contact with any of her friends nor can she go in public places in fear of contracting the disease. As for myself due to having Copd and emphysema I have a higher risk of catching and in dealing with the public in which i handle lots of money and deal with the public all day long is taking a huge mental toll on me and is making my anxitey even worse in fear of catching this. There for i am forced to stop working for the time being or until they can get some kind of control of the virus in which is also causing a huge financial problem for me in not having the money to pay my bills with I am now afraid of what else we might end up loosing as far as our home, electricity, car insurance and food to feed my family with.. This has also taking a huge toll on my daughters socail life, scocial gatherings and most importantly her education.
Employment hours have been compromised due to closing early. They will be permanently closed before long. Also, with 3 additional children in the home who qualify for reduced/free breakfast & lunch I now have to provide more groceries. I also have to provide internet service that is mandatory for E-learning due to public libraries being closed down. I also have a anxiety disorder and entering into the grocery store to stock up sends me into a sensory overload and into a panic attack with tunneled hearing, sweating palms,dry mouth, accelerated breathing, elevated heart rate, and a but disoriented. Not good when trying to just get supplies for the family for “lockdown”.
accountability, responsibility and transparency of the Chinese government, they did not contain and manage the virus allowing it to spread worldwide. This has caused my family trauma from fear of contracting the virus due to a compromised immune system, encountering pandemonium and chaos trying to buy groceries in ANY store and finding out everything sold out because of out brake.
I am among the individuals forced out of work and unsure when we will be able to return. At first it was expressed to be the 23rd of March, possibly the 30th. Now with the implication from the president that this crisis could go on into August, it is very unnerving and I am fearing that I may not work in a considerable time. Like many others I have no idea what I am going to do.