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Costco sued over claims it raised prices, then sought tariff refunds from government

A proposed class action lawsuit filed Friday in Seattle accuses Issaquah-based Costco Wholesale Corp of retaining financial benefits from federal tariffs recently struck down by the Supreme Court.
Tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act beginning in February 2025 prompted Costco to pass tax burdens directly to shoppers until the Supreme Court declared these tariffs unlawful on February 20, 2026.
Costco CEO Ron Vachris previously stated that any tariff refunds would fund future price cuts, but plaintiffs argue this strategy fails to compensate the specific customers who bore the initial costs.
Seven plaintiffs from Washington, Ohio, California, and Pennsylvania brought the lawsuit, which seeks to cover any United States shoppers who purchased goods subject to IEEPA tariffs between February 1, 2025, and February 24, 2026.
Costco filed its own case in the U.S. Court of International Trade on November 28, 2025, seeking refunds of duties it paid, though the retailer has not yet issued a formal comment on the pending class action.

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The Independent

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Lawsuit: Costco raised prices for tariffs but hasn’t committed to pass on refunds

The class action suit argues that Costco is essentially trying to get paid twice — once by the shoppers who covered the higher prices and again by the government through billions in expected refunds

17 hours ago·London, United Kingdom

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