Costco Faces Class-Action Suit Over Tariff Refunds

A Costco member in Illinois has filed a class-action lawsuit against the retailer, accusing it of unjustly profiting from unlawful tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and seeking refunds for customers who paid higher prices on imported goods.

Matthew Stockov, a Costco shopper, initiated the suit on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The proposed class includes all U.S. consumers who purchased tariff-affected items from Costco between February 1, 2025, and February 24, 2026. A subclass covers buyers in states including Illinois, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin during that period. The complaint alleges violations of state consumer fraud statutes, unjust enrichment, and demands restitution, plus interest, along with a jury trial.

The lawsuit stems from tariffs Trump enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) starting in February 2025, which raised import duties to their highest levels in over a century, including a 10 percent global tariff and country-specific rates. Trump justified the measures as necessary to address trade...