This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
On April 20, 2020, residents of Westchester County, a New York City suburb, filed a lawsuit against the World Health Organization (WHO) in the federal court in White Plains, New York.
The lawsuit, filed by Richard Kling and Steve Rotker, both of New Rochelle, and Gennaro Purchia, of Scarsdale, accuses the WHO of failing to quickly declare a pandemic, monitor China's response to the original outbreak, provide treatment guidelines, advise members on how to respond, including through travel restrictions, and coordinate a global response.
The plaintiffs also allege that the WHO conspired with China's government to cover up the severity of COVID-19.
The WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has defended the agency's handling of the pandemic, saying it had kept the world informed about the coronavirus.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for what the plaintiffs call the WHO's 'incalculable' harm to the roughly 756,000 adult residents in Westchester County.
Westchester County, located north of New York City, had about 967,506 people as of last year, with roughly 78% being adults, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
