Judge Sides With Importers to Expand Trump Tariff Refund Fight

(Bloomberg) -- A US trade judge approved class-action status for a legal fight over refunds for President Donald Trump's global tariffs, siding with importers who contend that the process will make it easier for a wider group of companies to get their money back.

US customs authorities already have fully processed almost $130 billion in refunds since the US Supreme Court declared Trump's tariffs unlawful earlier in the year. Judge Richard Eaton, in an order Thursday, certified a group lawsuit representing all importers who haven't already submitted claims for payments.

The administration had argued that importers with certain types of claims must file their own lawsuits. That prompted importers already seeking refunds to try to expand the existing litigation to cover a broader group of companies, arguing that a class action would help small businesses that don't have the resources to sue.

The case is Freestyle World Inc. v. Customs and Border Protection, 26-cv-1088, US Court of International Trade (New York).