Nike has been hit with three proposed class-action lawsuits in less than two weeks from consumers seeking a share of tariff refunds the sneaker giant is expected to receive from the federal government.
Adidas and Lululemon have also been sued in recent weeks as consumers argue retailers passed tariff costs onto shoppers through higher prices and now stand to recover those same costs from the government. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in February, with a 6–3 ruling in the case brought by a company called Learning Resources Inc.
Of the three suits against Nike, two were filed in Oregon federal court—where the company is headquartered—one on May 8 and another on May 12. The third suit against Nike was filed in Illinois federal court on May 8. The Adidas suit was filed May 12 in New York federal court, while the case against Lululemon was lodged March 27 in Michigan federal court.
“Nike was always going to be an early target in this kind of litigation because it is the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” says Sara Albrecht, chairman of the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian nonprofit litigation firm that represented six small businesses suing the U.S. government over tariffs. That case was consolidated with the case that the Supreme Court ultimately ruled on.
