Costco faces lawsuit over invalid tariffs refund

(The Center Square) – A member is suing warehouse retailer Costco to recoup his tariff costs, the latest sign that refunding President Donald Trump's invalid tariffs could be a complex battle in the courts. An Illinois man has initiated a class-action lawsuit seeking refunds, arguing that "the truly injured parties possess no direct avenue for redress." While consumers ultimately paid much of the tariff costs, federal law grants refunds only to the companies that imported the goods. "Only the importer of record has standing to seek a refund, regardless of who ultimately paid," Chicago attorney George Zelcs wrote in the complaint. "Large corporations, even those who passed 100% (or more) of the tariff burden onto customers, remain fully empowered to recover a complete refund for any unlawful tariffs they paid." The suit also alleged that Costco, the world's third-largest retailer, was "a pass-through vehicle" for the president's tariffs un