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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Case 2:20-cv-00574-JCM-NJK Document 6 Filed 06/05/20 Page 1 of 42 1 ROBERT T. EGLET, ESQ. Nevada Bar No. 3402 2 ROBERT M. ADAMS, ESQ. Nevada Bar No. 6551 3 EGLET ADAMS 4 400 South Seventh Street, Suite 400 Las Vegas, NV 89101 5 Telephone: (702) 450-5400 Facsimile: (702) 450-5451 6 [email protected] 7 [email protected] [email protected] 8 9 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 10 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 11 12 BELLA VISTA LLC, A NEVADA LIMITED 13 LIABILITY COMPANY; GREENFIELD & CASE NO.: 2:20-cv-00574 COMPANY INC., A NEVADA CORPORATION; 14 LIFE REAL ESTATE LLC, A NEVADA LIMITED FIRST AMENDED CLASS LIABILITY COMPANY; MOBILE MEDIC CPR ACTION COMPLAINT 15 TRAINING LLC, A NEVADA LIMITED 16 LIABILITY COMPANY; DT GROUP LLC, AN JURY DEMAND ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; 17 SYNEXXUS INC., A MARYLAND CORPORATION; SPIRITS OF USA LLC, A 18 GEORGIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; 19 WSW PLASTICS LLC, A TEXAS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; THE SALON WSW 20 BLO & GLO LOUNGE LLC, A TEXAS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; UME UME MUSIC + 21 ARTS INC., A NEW YORK CORPORATION; 5TH 22 ST. GYM INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION; AND DOUGH BOY FRESH INC., A 23 CALIFORNIA CORPORATION DBA PAPA MURPHY’S PIZZA, 24 25 PLAINTIFFS, 26 vs. 27 THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA; 28 NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA; MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF THE Case 2:20-cv-00574-JCM-NJK Document 6 Filed 06/05/20 Page 2 of 42 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA; MINISTRY 1 OF CIVIL AFFAIRS OF THE PEOPLE’S 2 REPUBLIC OF CHINA; THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENT OF HUBEI PROVINCE; THE 3 PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF WUHAN, CHINA; THE WUHAN NATIONAL 4 HEALTH COMMISSION; HUANAN SEAFOOD 5 WHOLESALE MARKET; AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA; 6 7 DEFENDANTS. 8 9 FIRST AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT 10 Plaintiffs, Bella Vista LLC, a Nevada Limited Company Liability; Greenfield & Company 11 Inc., a Nevada Corporation; Life Real Estate LLC, a Nevada Limited Liability Company; Mobile 12 Medic CPR Training LLC, a Nevada Limited Company; DT Group, LLC, an Illinois Limited 13 Liability Company; Synexxus Inc., a Maryland Corporation; Spirits of USA LLC, a Georgia 14 Limited Liability Company; WSW Plastics LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company; The Salon 15 WSW Blo & Glo Lounge LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company; UME UME Music + Arts th 16 Inc., a New York Corporation; 5 St. Gym Inc., a Florida Corporation; and Dough Boy Fresh Inc., 17 a California Corporation dba Papa Murphy’s Pizza (collectively, the “Named Plaintiffs”), on 18 behalf of themselves and on behalf of all those similarly situated, by and through their undersigned 19 counsel, EGLET ADAMS, hereby bring this class action against the People’s Republic of China 20 (“the PRC”); National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China; Ministry of 21 Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China; Ministry of Civil Affairs of the 22 People’s Republic of China; The People’s Government of Hubei Province; the People’s 23 Government of the City of Wuhan, China; the Wuhan National Health Commission; Huanan 24 Seafood Wholesale Market; and The Communist Party of China (collectively, the “Defendants”), 25 for damages and other relief, and hereby allege as follows: 26 INTRODUCTION 27 1. This class action complaint is brought by the Named Plaintiffs, which consist of 28 “small businesses” in the United States, including the State of Nevada, and as defined by the U.S. 2 Case 2:20-cv-00574-JCM-NJK Document 6 Filed 06/05/20 Page 3 of 42 1 Small Business Administration, for monetary and related damages sustained as a result of the 2 coronavirus pandemic, against the Defendants, the PRC, and its various government entities, 3 which handled and managed the response to the discovery of COVID-19, and, upon information 4 and belief, engaged in a cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic in China generally, and within 5 Hubei Province and the City of Wuhan, thereby causing and/or contributing to the subsequent 6 spread of COVID-19 all over the world, including to the United States of America (“US”) and the 7 State of Nevada. 8 2. The PRC is the world’s most populated country with over 1.3 Billion people. The 9 PRC is also the world’s second largest economy. As a result, the PRC has substantial economic 10 and trading relationships with almost every country in the world, including the US. 11 3. In 2019, the US trade with the PRC was approximately $555 Billion. 12 4. In 2018, approximately 3 Million tourists visited the US from the PRC. In that 13 same year, approximately 2 Million US tourists visited the PRC. 14 5. The extensive business, trade and tourism relationships between the PRC and the 15 US require honesty, accurate disclosure and transparency between the two countries, especially on 16 any health issues or conditions, which can cause a pandemic. 17 6. In 2006, the PRC opted into the International Health Regulations (“IHR”), to which 18 it is currently legally bound and has been since 2006, that requires each State Party to: (a) notify 19 the World Health Organization (“WHO”), by the most efficient means of communication available 20 and within twenty-four hours of assessment of public health information, of all events which may 21 constitute a public health emergency of international concern within its territory and any health 22 measure implemented in response to those events; (b) continue to communicate with WHO timely, 23 accurate and sufficiently detailed public health information available to it on the notified event, 24 where possible, including case definitions, laboratory results, source and type of the risk, number 25 of cases and deaths, conditions affecting the spread of the disease and the health measures 26 employed; and report, when necessary, the difficulties faced and support needed in responding to 27 the potential public health emergency of international concern; and (c) report to WHO any 28 3 Case 2:20-cv-00574-JCM-NJK Document 6 Filed 06/05/20 Page 4 of 42 1 unexpected or unusual public health event within its territory, irrespective of origin or source, 2 which may constitute a public health emergency of international concern. 3 7. Upon information and belief, the IHR’s were revised in 2005 in response to China’s 4 mishandling of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, which also started in Guangdong, China. SARS 5 was the coronavirus which was connected to bat research, and was accidentally released at the 6 Wuhan Institute of Virology (‘WIV’) in 2002 and 2004. 7 8. Upon information and belief, the WIV also included a National Bio-Safety Lab, 8 which is reportedly only one of thirty biosafety level 4 laboratories in the world. This lab, which 9 is owned and operated by the PRC, worked on bioterrorism, commercial, academic and scientific 10 research. This included advanced biological virus research that was used for academic, commercial 11 and military purposes. WIV researchers and scientists posted articles and videos about collecting 12 bat coronavirus from around the PRC for academic and commercial purposes. As this commercial 13 research proceeded, the PRC also patented or attempted to patent many of their findings. The 14 PRC’s commercial plan was to use these patents to make billions of dollars all over the world, 15 including the U.S. Significantly, China has more patents than any other country in the world. 16 9. On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Harvard University 17 Professor Charles Lieber and two PRC nationals, Yanginq Ye and Zaosong Zheng, on multiple 18 criminal charges connected to virus research; the illegal attempt by Zaosong Zheng to transport 21 19 vials of stolen biological research to the PRC; and Professor Lieber not disclosing millions of 20 dollars paid to him by the two PRC nationals, who were actually spies. Moreover, it was reported 21 that the two PRC nationals had ties to the WIV. 22 10. The world, including the US and the State of Nevada, has been devastated in recent 23 months by the new strain of the coronavirus, more commonly known as COVID-19, and the 24 mutations that have occurred with this virus. 25 11. Upon information and belief, COVID-19 began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China 26 on or about November 17, 2019, and subsequently spread throughout the world, including to the 27 US and the State of Nevada. Reported information suggests that the first case occurred in the 28 Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan, China, and that the virus has zoonotic origin. 4 Case 2:20-cv-00574-JCM-NJK Document 6 Filed 06/05/20 Page 5 of 42 1 12. Upon information and belief, the Defendants created and/or exploited COVID-19 2 in its National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, causing it to spread and 3 injure Named Plaintiffs and Class Members. 4 13. Upon information and belief, the WIV successfully tested the drug, Remdesivir, 5 and knew it was effective in combating COVID-19. Upon information and belief, Defendants 6 planned and attempted to patent Remdesivir in order to achieve commercial gain from the US and 7 across the world. 8 14. Upon information and belief, Defendants sold or allowed to be sold contaminated 9 products to vendors at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, allowing COVID-19 to infect 10 unsuspected purchasers who went on to infect others, including US citizens. 11 15. Upon information and belief, shortly after November 17, 2019, the PRC and the 12 other Defendants knew, or should have known, that COVID-19 was a dangerous, contagious, and 13 deadly virus because many Chinese citizens who contracted the virus were becoming very ill, with 14 many dying.
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