Chinese Court Refuses to Accept Group Lawsuit in Tainted Milk Scandal

A Chinese court has reportedly refused to accept a lawsuit filed by dozens of families whose children were sickened or died from consuming infant formula contaminated with melamine. Apparently the first-known group lawsuit to arise in the wake of the scandal, the complaint sought nearly US$2 million from the state-owned Sanlu Group Co., the dairy company that allegedly produced the tainted products. According to a news source, Chinese courts often turn down group suits, preferring to deal with individual cases and avoid angering party
officials. Some one dozen individual cases are currently pending in courts around the country, but they have not yet been accepted. A lawyer for the affected families reportedly indicated that the group lawsuit was ostensibly not accepted because government departments are still investigating. See Associated Press, December 8, 2008.