FedEx sues Trump administration for 'full refund' of IEEPA tariff payments

FedEx filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for a "full refund" of tariff payments made under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, under which President Trump has no authority to impose, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The suit was filed Monday, following the high court's ruling Friday, according to CBS News.

FedEx filed the complaint in the U.S. Court of International Trade, making it the first major lawsuit seeking tariff reimbursements since last week's Supreme Court ruling.

The high court did not indicate whether businesses that paid tariffs under IEEPA are entitled to refunds. The ruling from last week is expected to result in numerous lawsuits that will be litigated in the lower courts over the billions of dollars in tariff payments that were made over the last year.

FedEx is requesting the trade court force U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund all duties paid last year under IEEPA.

"This Court has jurisdiction and authority to order remedial relief and refunds of IEEPA duties paid by importers," FedEx wrote in its lawsuit, adding, "Plaintiffs have paid IEEPA duties to the United States and thus have suffered injury caused by those orders."

FedEx executives said on a quarterly earnings call last year that they expected a $1 billion hit to profits in 2025 because of the Trump administration's tariff policies.

The lawsuit requests a refund of "the duties collected from Plaintiffs on all entries subject to IEEPA duties, with interest as provided by law," plus additional funds to cover legal fees.

FedEx joined several other large corporations that sued before the Supreme Court's ruling, including Costco, Revlon, and Bumble Bee Foods.

The Supreme Court case came as a result of lawsuits from several small businesses, including wine importer V.O.S. Selections and toymaker Learning Resources.

After last week's ruling, Trump quickly threatened to impose a new 15% global tariff using a different, 1974 trade law, which allows the president to impose duties for no more than 150 days to address "large and serious" balance-of-payment deficits.

The Supreme Court decision specifically impacted tariffs that were issued under IEEPA, but it did not impact duties that were imposed under other laws, including tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, and certain vehicles.

The White House did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.