Nintendo Fights Tariff Refund Lawsuit

Nintendo has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit demanding it pass tariff refunds to consumers. The company asserts that customers who purchased products like the Switch console have no legal entitlement to refunds Nintendo is set to receive from the government. Plaintiffs, two US residents filing a class action on behalf of affected consumers, allege Nintendo engaged in unfair practices by raising prices due to tariffs and then seeking refunds without disclosing this intention.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims Nintendo unjustly enriched itself by retaining tariff refunds after passing costs onto customers. Nintendo counters that consumers received exactly what they paid for at an advertised price and have no claim to government refunds. This legal dispute echoes similar class-action suits filed against Sony for PlayStation consoles and Microsoft for Xbox products, stemming from tariffs imposed by President Trump.

These tariffs, initially imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), were later ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in February 2026. The government's refund process began in April 2026, but refunds are designated for importers and customs brokers, not individual consumers. Over 100 similar consumer class actions have been filed nationwide against various businesses, arguing that companies cannot both pass tariff costs to consumers and keep government refunds.