FedEx has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking a full refund of tariffs it paid under a law the Supreme Court declared exceeded the President’s authority.
The shipping giant lodged the 11-page complaint, filed on February 23, in the U.S. Court of International Trade, targeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that collects import duties. FedEx argues it suffered financial harm by paying duties on goods imported from countries subject to the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“Accordingly … Plaintiffs seek for themselves a full refund from Defendants of all IEEPA duties Plaintiffs have paid to the United States,” the company’s lawyers stated in the filing.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision on Friday, ruled that President Donald Trump overstepped his powers by using the act to apply broad tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. The court provided no direction on handling the $175 billion in collected duties, leaving refunds to be sorted by lower courts — a process Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday might last weeks or months.
The ruling limited the use of IEEPA but did not eliminate presidential tariff authority altogether, as previously reported on by The Dallas Express.
FedEx, which handles 17 million packages daily across hundreds of countries, explained in the suit that importers typically pay estimated duties upon entry, with Customs and Border Protection later finalizing the amounts based on value, classification, and rates.
“As a result of the executive orders identified in this lawsuit, Plaintiffs have paid IEEPA duties to the United States and thus have suffered injury caused by those orders. The relief Plaintiffs seek from this Court would redress those injuries,” the attorneys wrote.
Company executives had previously flagged the tariffs’ impact, estimating a potential $1 billion hit to fiscal year 2026 earnings in a September report issued before the duties were halted.
“From a customer perspective, it has been a very stressful period,” FedEx chief customer officer Brie Carere said in September, NBC News reported, adding that it had been “particularly challenging for small exporters.”
FedEx’s action appears to be the first such refund suit by a major corporation following the Supreme Court’s decision, though several cases predated it in the specialized trade court. Costco filed for refunds in December, noting that roughly a third of its U.S. sales stem from imported products. Days later, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo of the Biden administration joined Costco’s board.
Other firms pursuing similar claims include Revlon, EssilorLuxottica, Kawasaki, Bumble Bee, and Yokohama Tire, as well as numerous smaller businesses.
A notice on FedEx’s website announced that the IEEPA tariffs, which featured reciprocal duties on dozens of nations, ceased collection at midnight on February 24.
“While the Supreme Court did not address the issue of refunds, FedEx has taken necessary action to protect the company’s rights as an importer of record to seek duty refunds from U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” it stated. “At this time, however, no refund process has been established by regulators or the courts.”
“We will communicate any relevant information and updates in a timely manner, and we appreciate your patience as we wait for additional guidance and clarity from the U.S. government and the courts,” the company added.