Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Allow Americans to Sue China over COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), along with Sens. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), introduced the Civil Justice for Victims of COVID-19 Act. This legislation would allow Americans to sue China in federal court for its role in causing the coronavirus pandemic.
“China must be held accountable for its failure to contain COVID-19,” said Rounds. “China’s delay in sharing the seriousness of the virus with the rest of the world isn’t just negligence—it is criminal in nature. If China would have been transparent from the start, many more lives would have been saved in all parts of the world. Our legislation provides the tools necessary for American citizens to sue the Chinese Communist Party in federal court for financial losses incurred because of COVID-19.”
Read the bill text HERE.
Background:
- The Civil Justice for Victims of COVID Act:
- Gives federal courts authority to hear claims that China has caused or substantially contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Strips China of its sovereign immunity for reckless actions that caused the COVID-19 pandemic and creates a cause of action.
- Authorizes federal courts to freeze Chinese assets.
- Is closely modeled after the 2016 Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) that gave more legal remedies to victims of terrorism, particularly those of 9/11 victims.
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