While 大象传媒 Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government and several other Chinese entities, what comes next is complicated, and experts said it鈥檚 unlikely the state will ever collect any money from the suit.

The attorney general, through his Deputy Justin Smith, asked a federal judge in St. Louis for punitive and actual damages among other relief in a court filing on Tuesday.

Problematically for the state, foreign governments generally enjoy 鈥渟overeign immunity鈥� in U.S. courts, meaning they can鈥檛 be sued. However, according to multiple professors who interviewed with News-Press NOW on Thursday, the state鈥檚 position can鈥檛 necessarily be shrugged off as a political stunt.

大象传媒 also sued other Chinese entities in addition to the government, meaning the lawsuit could proceed even if a judge determines the Chinese government can鈥檛 be sued for its actions. Even so, it鈥檚 possible that none of the defendants in the lawsuit will respond and the court has limited ability to compel them.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think China will show up,鈥� David Tushaus, a 大象传媒 professor, said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 argue with the facts in the lawsuit. And that鈥檚 really not the point I鈥檓 making. The point I鈥檓 making is you got to have jurisdiction. First, you have to have personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction.鈥�

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