A federal judge ruled Friday in favor of the state of Missouri in its $24 billion lawsuit against the Chinese Communist Party, holding the country accountable for hoarding critical protective supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the ruling as a significant legal victory.

“This is a landmark victory for Missouri and the United States in the fight to hold China accountable for unleashing COVID-19 on the world,” Bailey said in a statement.

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“China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation. We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland.”

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2020 by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, accused China of obstructing the production, purchase, and export of critical medical equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), at the height of the pandemic.

The case had faced legal challenges, including an initial dismissal by a lower court.

However, a court of appeals ruled in Missouri’s favor in January, reviving the lawsuit but limiting it to claims regarding supply hoarding.

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Judge Stephen Limbaugh, presiding over the case, ruled that Missouri provided sufficient evidence to establish the liability of the defendants.

“The Court finds that Missouri has provided evidence satisfactory to the Court to establish each Defendant’s liability to Missouri under Count IV of Plaintiff’s Complaint,” Limbaugh wrote in his ruling.

“The Court therefore enters a judgment against Defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of $24,488,825,457.00, plus postjudgment interest.”

The lawsuit named multiple Chinese government entities as defendants, including the People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party of China, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the People’s Government of Hubei Province, the People’s Government of Wuhan City, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Following the ruling, Bailey reiterated Missouri’s intent to pursue financial recovery.

“Hey China, You owe Missouri $24 BILLION. I just won a judgment in court. Pay up — or we start seizing assets and farmland,” Bailey wrote in a post on X.

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Bailey’s office noted that the judgment is six times larger than any previous judgment in Missouri’s history.

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It remains unclear how Missouri will enforce the ruling and recover the awarded damages, as China has refused to participate in the case.

However, Bailey has indicated that seizing Chinese-owned assets within Missouri is under consideration as a means of collection.

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