Rivian sues the US government for ‘full refund’ of Trump tariffs

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, names the U.S. government, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and its commissioner Rodney Scott as defendants. CBP collected the tariffs on behalf of the Trump administration, which tried to justify them under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

In a statement to TechCrunch, CBP said that over $121  billion in both “potential and certified refunds have been accepted for processing .” The agency did not comment specifically on the lawsuit.

Earlier this month, the Cato Institute wrote that $71 billion had been paid out, which “suggests that frictions built into” the refund process created “obstacles for importers seeking refunds.”

According to Rivian’s lawsuit, the company wants a guarantee that it will get its money — and the proper amount — back from the government.

“Although the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs, this separate action remains necessary because importers that have paid IEEPA tariffs, including Plaintiffs, are not guaranteed a refund of amounts previously paid based on the Supreme Court’s decision,” Rivian’s lawyers wrote in the complaint.

Rivian did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters last year after the tariffs were imposed that he expected the cost of each vehicle to rise by “a couple of thousand dollars” as a result. By the end of 2025, he said the company had mitigated the impact to “low hundreds of dollars.”

“The resulting environment of retaliatory trade or other practices or additional trade restrictions or barriers has harmed, and could continue to harm, our ability to obtain necessary raw materials, components and equipment and could harm our ability to sell our products and services at prices customers are willing to pay,” the company wrote in a regulatory filing earlier this year.

Rivian is asking the trade court to declare the tariffs “contrary to law,” issue a refund with interest, and pay any associated court fees.