The Former Head of EcoHealth Alliance Files Lawsuit Claiming Unemployment and Financial Hardship
Dr. Peter Daszak, the former president of the Manhattan nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, has filed a $3 million lawsuit against his former employer, claiming to be “unemployed” and “poor.” Daszak was involved in risky research conducted at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This year, Daszak was banned from receiving federal funding until 2029 for not disclosing the genetic enhancement of coronaviruses during his work in China. The nonprofit’s board of directors terminated Daszak and all 26 employees in December, leaving him without severance pay.
Daszak’s income in 2024 was reported at $443,590. The House Oversight Committee uncovered violations of NIH grant requirements by EcoHealth and Daszak, indicating their involvement in gain-of-function research that could have contributed to the origin of COVID-19.
The committee chairman, James Comer, stated that EcoHealth and Daszak should not receive any more funding from taxpayers. Despite EcoHealth Alliance closing its doors, Daszak and former employees started a new nonprofit called Nature.Health.Global, focusing on research related to coronavirus spillover risks.
Daszak has been active in petitioning against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and organizing protests in Washington D.C. He has yet to provide financial details about his new organization to the IRS.
Despite repeated attempts to reach Daszak’s lawyers for comment, there has been no response so far.
