Amazon Faces Proposed Class Action Over Tariff Refund Allegations

Amazon is facing a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the company of failing to refund tariff-related costs that consumers say were built into higher prices for imported goods after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key Trump-era tariffs. The complaint was filed in federal court in Seattle, and it alleges Amazon collected hundreds of millions of dollars in unlawful tariff costs by raising prices while the tariffs were in effect and then chose not to pursue reimbursement from the federal government once the tariffs were struck down.

The lawsuit, according to its allegations, centers on the period before and after the Supreme Court’s February ruling that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act when imposing the tariffs. After that decision, the federal government created a mechanism for reimbursement of the parties that paid the tariffs, but the plaintiffs argue that consumers are effectively the ones who should receive the benefit because they paid higher prices for tariff-covered imports.

In the complaint, plaintiffs contend that Amazon did not seek government refunds and instead retained money tied to the higher...