Nintendo sues to prevent Trump from dodging full tariff refunds

March 10, 2026

Here's something that might surprise you — Nintendo has actually sued the Trump administration to get back billions in tariffs. Ashley Belanger from TechCrunch reports that Nintendo argues the government already admitted that over $200 billion in refunds are owed to companies, including itself. But here’s where it gets tricky — Nintendo fears that because some tariffs have been finalized, the government might dodge paying those back unless a court orders it to void those duties. Now, Ashley points out that the Trump administration says they’ll only issue refunds if a court forces them to re-liquidate the tariffs, which would undo all the final payments. So essentially, Nintendo’s pushing for a court ruling to make sure they get their money back, and many others hope this sets a precedent for big refunds after these controversial tariffs. It’s a high-stakes legal battle that could shape how refunds are handled in the future — and honestly, it’s a smart move by Nintendo to protect its bottom line. Keep an eye on how this unfolds.

Last Friday, Nintendo joined thousands of companies suing the Trump administration to secure full refunds, plus interest, for billions in unlawful tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

In its complaint, Nintendo insisted that the Trump administration has already conceded that more than $200 billion in refunds are owed to hundreds of thousands of importers who paid tariffs, regardless of liquidation status.

However, Nintendo fears that the Trump administration may try to avoid paying refunds to certain companies whose tariff payments have already been liquidated, which means that the duties owed were finalized. The government has continually argued that it will only follow through on refunding all importers if a court directly orders refunds to be repaid in a way that requires reliquidation. Such an order would force officials to void all finalized tariffs and come as a relief to many companies in Nintendo's position that remain uncertain if all their tariff payments can be clawed back.

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