The lawsuit, filed in a Federal Court in New York on Thursday by the Chinese Americans Civil Rights Coalition (CACRC) points to various comments made by the former president in speeches and statements that caused "emotional distress" to Asian Americans and encouraged hate crimes directed toward the Asian community, while fueling racism across the country.
Specifically, the lawsuit points to Trump's repeated use of the terms: “Chinese virus”, “Wuhan virus” and “Kung Flu virus” amid the coronavirus pandemic that has so far taken the toll of nearly 590 thousand people in the US alone.
Furthermore, Trump is accused of using "those defamatory words to serve his own personal and political interest with astonishing level of actual malice and negligence, hence severely injuring the Chinese/Asian Americans communities in the process." Yu-Xi (Glen) Liu, the attorney representing CARC told Axios that "we have seen a rising trend targeting Asian Americans" since Trump's time in office. "Certain fragments of society like to scapegoat other people for what's happening in the world, specifically the pandemic, and that is, to say the very least, an embarrassment to American values," he added.
As an example, one recent study found that Trump's use of the term "Chinese Virus" on Twitter in reference to COVID-19 led to a dramatic increase in the use of hashtags considered anti-Asian on Twitter.
The lawsuit notes that Trump used this kind of rhetoric while acting "against the well-published WHO guidelines and the repeated advices from health officials of his own administration," stressing that “the truth matters, words have consequences... especially from those in powerful and influential positions.”
According to a Reuters report, hate crimes against Asian Americans rose by 149% in 2020 in 16 major cities across the US, compared to 2019.
First reported by TMZ, this lawsuit marks the latest one in a row of 29 pending cases that Trump now faces, according to The Washington Post, without the support of the Justice Department. Many of those relate to storming of the Capitol on January 6.Trump Sued by Chinese American Civil Rights Coalition Over 'China Virus' https://t.co/q8Kr2bMnWn
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 20, 2021
The CACRC is demanding a total of $22.9 million - $1 for every Asian American living in the US - which would be used to establish a museum that would highlight the history of the Asian American community in the US.
According to The Hill news website, Trump's lawyers have dismissed the lawsuit, calling it "a complete joke."
"This is an insane and idiotic lawsuit that is specious at best, and it will be dismissed if it ever sees a courtroom," Jason Miller, senior adviser for Trump told The Hill. "It's a complete joke, and if I was the lawyer that brought it I'd be worried about getting sanctioned."The CACRC lawsuit against Trump was filed on the same day that US President Joe Biden signed a bill meant to counter the spike in anti-Asian hate crimes in the US.