Amazon sued over Trump tariff refunds

Amazon.com is facing a proposed class action in federal court in Seattle over whether it should return tariff-related costs that shoppers say were built into prices during 2025. The suit, filed May 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, says Amazon passed through costs from tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and did not refund consumers after those tariffs were later invalidated. Reuters reported the case seeks refunds for costs consumers say showed up as higher prices. (money.usnews.com) (dockets.justia.com) The case is one of a growing set of refund fights tied to the collapse of Trump-era IEEPA tariffs. A March 4 order from the U.S. Court of International Trade said all importers of record who paid those duties were entitled to the benefit of the Supreme Court’s February 20 ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump, which held the tariffs were not authorized under IEEPA. That left importers eligible to recover duties from the government, while consumers who say they bore the cost are now suing private companies instead. ### Why are Amazon shoppers suing now? (money.usnews.com) May 15 is the filing date for the Amazon complaint, which alleges the company collected “hundreds of millions of dollars” from consumers through higher prices on imported goods sold directly on its platform. The plaintiffs say Amazon has not returned any of those amounts and does not intend to do so. Reuters said the suit includes claims for unjust enrichment and alleged violations of Washington state consumer-protection law. Hagens Berman, the law firm behind the case, said the challenged pricing period ran from February 2025 to February 2026. (sullcrom.com) Its public statement says Amazon began raising prices on imported products after the Trump administration started imposing IEEPA tariffs in February 2025, then chose not to seek refunds after the Supreme Court invalidated them on February 20, 2026. ### What do the plaintiffs say Amazon actually did? Amazon is accused of passing tariff costs on to consumers while keeping open the option to recover those same duties from the government as importer of record. (money.usnews.com) The complaint, as described by WWD and Hagens Berman, says that if Amazon declines to pursue those refunds, consumers who paid the higher prices are left without reimbursement. WWD reported the suit also alleges Amazon failed to disclose that it did not intend to seek a refund even if the tariffs were found unlawful. A late-April 2025 dispute with the White House appears in the complaint as part of that argument. (hbsslaw.com) Hagens Berman said Amazon had planned to display how much of a product’s cost came from tariffs, and that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the reported move “a hostile and political act” before Amazon said the plan was never approved. The suit says Amazon later abandoned the idea after President Donald Trump spoke with founder Jeff Bezos. ### How does Sony fit into the same legal fight? Sony Interactive Entertainment was sued separately in the Northern District of California on May 6 in Walker et al v. (wwd.com) Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. Engadget reported the plaintiffs say Sony received a “substantial windfall” after raising PS5 prices during the tariff period and then becoming eligible for tariff refunds once the duties were struck down. Justia’s docket entry shows the case was filed as a contract dispute under diversity jurisdiction. August 2025 is the key date in that complaint. (wwd.com) Engadget and IGN reported Sony raised U.S. prices for the standard PS5, Digital Edition and PS5 Pro by $50 while citing a “challenging economic environment,” and the lawsuit says buyers who paid those higher prices should be compensated. ### Is Amazon the only retailer being targeted? Nike, Shein, Temu, Costco and Lululemon are also named by WWD as companies caught up in similar class-action litigation over tariff refunds. Engadget said the Sony case resembles earlier consumer actions against Nintendo and Amazon. (engadget.com) The pattern across the cases is similar: companies allegedly passed through tariff costs, then consumers sought repayment after the legal basis for the tariffs fell away. March 4 is the date that helped set up those suits. The trade court’s order said refunds belonged to importers of record, not directly to end customers, which appears to be why consumer plaintiffs are now trying to use state consumer-protection and unjust-enrichment claims against retailers and manufacturers instead. (engadget.com) That is an inference from the structure of the rulings and complaints, not a court holding in these consumer cases. ### What happens next in court? Seattle is where the Amazon case will proceed first, with Amazon expected to respond in the ordinary course to the complaint or move to dismiss. (wwd.com) Reuters said Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment when the suit was filed. July 27, 2026, is the next dated milestone visible in the Sony docket. Justia’s docket entry says the case management statement in Walker et al v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC is due that day in the Northern District of California. (dockets.justia.com) (money.usnews.com) (sullcrom.com)