COVID
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has initiated the next phase of efforts to enforce the state’s historic $24 billion judgment against the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party and several Chinese government entities.
The judgment, entered in March 2025, stems from Missouri’s lawsuit alleging that China’s actions and subsequent cover-up worsened the COVID-19 pandemic and caused harm to Missourians.
Hanaway
It is the largest judgment ever issued in Missouri and among the largest issued against a foreign sovereign.
Federal law requires states to wait a “reasonable period of time” after a judgment is entered before beginning the process of serving and enforcing that judgment on foreign government defendants.
With that period now complete, Hanaway’s office has moved to formally serve the judgment through the process outlined by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).
Hanaway said that the Office is “moving full speed ahead to secure this judgment for the people of Missouri,” adding that the state remains committed to recovering what it can, beginning with Chinese-owned assets such as farmland.
The defendants listed for service include the People’s Republic of China, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the People’s Government of Hubei Province and the People’s Government of Wuhan City.
The packets contain copies of the judgment, Mandarin translations and required statutory materials.
A letter from the Attorney General’s Office to Clerk Jessica Carter requests that the court take “all necessary steps” under 28 U.S.C. § 1608(a)(4) to effect service on the defendants.
The letter notes that earlier attempts at service under other provisions of the statute were unsuccessful and that the court previously authorized use of the § 1608(a)(4) method.
That provision requires the Clerk to send two copies of the judgment and its Mandarin translation, along with two copies of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and its Mandarin translation, to the U.S. Secretary of State, directed to the attention of the Director of Special Consular Services.
The State Department will then handle the diplomatic service of the documents.
The address provided for State Department dispatch is the Office of Special Consular Services in Washington, D.C.
The letter also confirms that all necessary documents have been included, and it is signed by Attorney General Hanaway and Deputy Solicitor General Samuel C. Freedlund.
Once the State Department confirms that the diplomatic service has been completed, Missouri plans to return to the federal district court to obtain certification that the service requirements have been met.
With certification, the Attorney General’s Office intends to pursue seizure of Chinese-owned assets in the United States connected to the defendants, including real property, financial interests, and other holdings.
The federal court previously found that Missouri “established this claim of damages through evidence satisfactory to the court,” concluding that China caused and worsened the pandemic, leading to harm within the state.
Hanaway said the judgment “belongs to the people of Missouri,” noting that residents “deserve accountability” and that the state will not stop its efforts until the judgment is enforced.
