American electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade, demanding that the U.S. government refund all taxes it paid under Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, plus interest. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unconstitutional.
The lawsuit targets include customs authorities.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, names the U.S. government, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and its commissioner, Rodney Scott. Rivian argues that while the Supreme Court has overturned the tariffs, payments already made by importers will not be automatically refunded, and therefore a separate lawsuit is needed to confirm eligibility and the amount of the refund.
In its lawsuit, Rivian stated that the company hopes the court will clarify that the relevant tariffs are "illegal" and demand that the government return the payments already made, pay interest, and bear the relevant litigation costs.
The refund process still faces obstacles.
CBP told TechCrunch that more than $121 billion in “potential and confirmed refunds” are currently in the process, but declined to comment separately on the Rivian case.
The Cato Institute, a U.S. think tank, said earlier this month that approximately $71 billion in refunds had been paid out. This development shows that the refund process itself remains fraught with friction, and importers may face obstacles when actually receiving their funds back.
In its complaint, Rivian's lawyers wrote that the Supreme Court's ruling was insufficient to guarantee the company the full amount it had previously paid, and therefore the company needed a further, definitive ruling from the court.
Tariffs have driven up the cost per bicycle
Rivian filed the lawsuit at a time when the company is pushing forward with its first mass-market SUV, the R2. The company expects to deliver approximately 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles by the end of this year, hoping to improve its business performance.
However, Rivian continues to invest in autonomous driving research and development, and profitability may not be achieved until 2028. The company also recently raised approximately $1.3 billion through a stock sale to replenish its cash reserves.
Rivian CFO Claire McDonough stated in April that the company expected to receive tens of millions of dollars in tariff refunds. CEO RJ Scaringe also told Reuters last year that tariffs had initially increased the cost of each vehicle by thousands of dollars; by the end of 2025, this impact had been reduced to several hundred dollars.
Rivian previously mentioned in regulatory filings that retaliatory trade measures and additional trade barriers could continue to affect the company’s ability to obtain raw materials, components and equipment, and could also weaken its ability to sell products and services at prices acceptable to consumers.
