Lawsuits filed against EcoHealth Alliance for alleged involvement in COVID-19 virus, funding release
In a significant legal development, the families of four individuals who lost their lives due to COVID-19 have initiated legal action against the Manhattan-based nonprofit organization, EcoHealth Alliance.
According to reports, this entity had provided financial support for coronavirus research in China and now faces accusations of contributing to the creation and subsequent release of the virus, whether intentionally or inadvertently.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on August 2nd, asserts that “EcoHealth Alliance, along with its president Peter Daszak, possessed knowledge of the virus’s potential to cause a global pandemic due to its inherent dangers.”
Despite being a partial funder of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the facility linked to the virus’s emergence, the organization is alleged to have failed in ensuring adequate safety precautions were in place.
The lawsuit contends that “the organization undertook efforts to obscure the origins of the outbreak.”
Patricia Finn, legal representative for the victims’ families, emphasized that had they been made aware of the virus’s true origins and its genetic manipulation rather than being misled about its source, the outcome might have been different.
The individuals seeking legal recourse are the families of Mary Conroy, hailing from Pennsylvania; Emma D. Holley from Rochester, NY; Larry Carr from Crossville, Tennessee; and Raul Osuna from Bennington, Nebraska.
These plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages in their pursuit of justice.
The families, while mourning their losses, are also driven by a sense of outrage as they believe that the truth regarding the virus’s origins is beginning to emerge.
Paul Rinker from Pennsylvania is another individual pursuing legal action against EcoHealth Alliance and Peter Daszak, citing serious injuries stemming from his encounter with the virus.
Patricia Finn has taken further legal steps, filing lawsuits against EcoHealth Alliance and Daszak in Nassau and Rockland Counties.
These additional cases represent four other individuals who succumbed to the virus and two survivors.
Finn underscored the gravity of this particular case, as it revolves around allegations of concealed knowledge about the virus’s origin, which could have significantly impacted the approach taken to address the pandemic.
Notably, a report from June revealed that “the Government Accountability Office highlighted EcoHealth Alliance’s disbursement of $1,413,720 to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
This funding had been provided by the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, a separate inquiry uncovered the possibility that the government may have allocated millions in duplicated grants to Wuhan-based research institutions through EcoHealth Alliance.
This legal action signifies a critical moment in unraveling the complex web of responsibilities related to the virus’s emergence and subsequent spread.
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