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FedEx sued the Trump administration on Monday, seeking a “full refund” of tariffs it paid under a sweeping emergency tariff regime that the Supreme Court of the United States struck down last week.
The lawsuit follows Friday’s ruling that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose broad tariffs on imports from nearly all U.S. trading partners.
“Accordingly … Plaintiffs seek for themselves a full refund from Defendants of all IEEPA duties Plaintiffs have paid to the United States,” FedEx attorneys wrote in the complaint, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade against U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
First major corporate refund case after Supreme Court ruling
FedEx appears to be the first major corporation to formally seek refunds since the Supreme Court invalidated Trump’s emergency tariff authority. However, it joins a growing list of companies that had already challenged the levies before the high court’s decision.
FedEx said it imported goods from countries subject to IEEPA tariffs while they were in effect and paid the duties as the importer of record, causing direct financial harm.
“When goods enter … the United States, the importer of record pays an estimated duty,” the company’s lawyers wrote. Customs officials later finalize the amount owed, a process FedEx says resulted in substantial payments under what the court has now deemed unlawful tariffs.
Tariffs’ financial impact
The Memphis-based logistics giant, which transports roughly 17 million packages per day across hundreds of countries, previously warned investors that the tariffs would significantly weigh on earnings.
In September, before the IEEPA tariffs were rescinded, FedEx estimated the impact could reach $1 billion in fiscal year 2026.
“From a customer perspective, it has been a very stressful period,” FedEx Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere said at the time, adding that the tariffs were “particularly challenging for small exporters.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Part of a broader wave of litigation
FedEx’s lawsuit follows similar challenges brought by major companies in recent months.
In December, Costco sued for a full refund of IEEPA tariffs, arguing that roughly one-third of its U.S. sales depend on imported products. Days after that suit was filed, former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo joined Costco’s board of directors.
Other companies that have sued over the tariffs include Revlon, EssilorLuxottica, Kawasaki, Bumble Bee, and Yokohama Tire, along with dozens of smaller firms.
Legal experts say the Supreme Court ruling opens the door to billions of dollars in potential refund claims, though the mechanics and timing of any repayments remain unresolved.
What comes next
While the high court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, it did not spell out how refunds should be processed — an issue that is now likely to be decided through litigation in the trade court and potentially by Congress.
For now, FedEx’s case is expected to serve as a bellwether for how aggressively companies pursue reimbursement and how the federal government responds.
