Civil Case regarding China Milk Scandal reaches China Court

A Chinese court is hearing the first civil case seeking damages for injuries suffered in connection with the China milk scandal.  The case, brought by a parent whose child became ill after consuming baby formula which contained the industrial chemical melamine, is seeking $8000 from a dairy group and a supermarket. The government has already ordered the payment of $161 million to the hundreds of thousands of families whose children became ill or died as a result of consuming the tainted milk. However, some of the families argue that this compensation is inadequate.  The Chinese court rejected an effort by the families to sue together as a group, and so far, six cases have been accepted by the courts.  

In addition to the civil litigation surrounding the tainted milk scandal, two people were executed in China last week for their alleged participation, and nineteen other people are in police custody in connection with the case. 

~clf