FedEx and UPS are among the companies facing proposed class-action lawsuits by customers seeking refunds for tariffs they have paid.
On Feb. 20, the Supreme Court invalidated President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). FedEx quickly filed a lawsuit seeking a full refund of the money the company paid due to the tariffs, and said any money returned would go back to shippers and customers.
However, in filing a lawsuit on behalf of an individual consumer in Florida who paid a tariff fee, law firm Morgan and Morgan said while FedEx has stated publicly it plans to return those funds to customers, the company has not made any legally binding statements.
Separately, a breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed against UPS for collecting tariffs shortly after the Supreme Court handed down its decision. The lawsuit seeks to cover all U.S. residents who paid tariffs to UPS under IEEPA. French eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica, which makes Ray-Ban sunglasses, was also sued over the tariffs.
In a separate development, a U.S. federal court on March 2 rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to slow the process of refunding billions of dollars’ worth of tariffs.
The administration wanted the Federal Circuit to hold off for 90 days. But the judges with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit started the next phase in a possible refund process by sending it to a lower court to sort out.
The government had collected more than $130 billion from the tariffs by mid-December, according to experts.
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