Here's a novel idea: what if you paid a bill, and then the highest court in the land said the bill was illegal? You'd probably want your money back, right? That's exactly where FedEx Corp. (FDX) finds itself.
The shipping giant filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Monday. The goal? To recover all the tariffs it paid that were imposed by the Donald Trump administration. This isn't just corporate grumbling; it's a direct response to a seismic shift from the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court's Game-Changing Ruling
Last week, the Supreme Court dropped a bombshell. It ruled that Trump did not have the legal authority to impose those tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In simpler terms, the court said the whole exercise was illegal from the start.
Trump, unsurprisingly, was not pleased. He called the ruling "anti-American" and has since proposed a new, even higher global tariff. But for companies like FedEx, the court's decision was a green light to go get their cash back.
FedEx Wants a 'Full Refund'
FedEx is stepping up as the first major corporation to formally sue for a refund post-ruling. The company filed its case with the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. It's not alone in this fight, though. Back in December 2025, Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) filed its own lawsuit challenging the tariffs' legality.
FedEx's lawsuit names some big defendants: the United States of America itself, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the agency's commissioner, Rodney Scott. While the filing doesn't specify a dollar amount—tariffs can add up to a staggering sum for a global logistics company—the demand is crystal clear.
"Plaintiffs seek for themselves a full refund from Defendants of all IEEPA duties Plaintiffs have paid to the United States," the company stated in the lawsuit. Translation: We paid. It was illegal. We want every penny back.
