ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Lawsuits are starting to pile up around the U.S. seeking to hold China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic. The complaints claim that Chinese authorities did not do enough to corral the virus initially, tried to hide what was happening and engaged in a cover-up to conceal their actions and what they knew.
The Chinese foreign ministry says the country has been transparent and that the lawsuits have no factual basis. The cases face an uphill climb because of a 1976 federal law stating that foreign governments are immune from U.S. lawsuits with certain exceptions.
