Shein and Temu are both defendants in several active class action lawsuits in the United States, including a pair of March 2026 Illinois suits demanding refunds of tariff-related price increases, a stalled data privacy case against Temu, and a copyright infringement case brought by independent designers against Shein. None of these class actions has produced a settlement or opened a claims process for consumers as of mid-2026, so there is nothing to sign up for yet.
The Tariff Refund Class Actions
The newest and most talked-about cases were filed in March 2026 in Cook County Circuit Court by McGuire Law P.C. of Chicago. The named plaintiff, Lola Russell, bought items from both retailers between February 2025 and February 2026, and her complaints allege that Shein and Temu raised prices by as much as 377 percent to cover tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — then kept the higher prices in place after the Supreme Court held those tariffs unlawful.1Legal Newsline. Temu, Shein Hit With Class Actions Demanding Tariff Refunds
The suits allege violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and unjust enrichment, and seek certification as nationwide classes. The plaintiffs argue it is “unfair, oppressive, unscrupulous and causes substantial injury to consumers” to have charged customers for tariffs that turned out to be unconstitutional, and that consumers deserve a share of any refunds the retailers eventually recover from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.2WWD. Shein, Temu Class Action Lawsuit Over IEEPA Tariff Refund
Neither case has reached a settlement. Neither retailer has publicly responded. Experts quoted in trade press have described the plaintiffs’ odds as “a long shot,” partly because retailers facing similar “double recovery” suits have argued that tracking and refunding millions of low-value transactions would be administratively impossible.2WWD. Shein, Temu Class Action Lawsuit Over IEEPA Tariff Refund Similar suits have also been filed against Costco and Lululemon.
Why the Tariff Cases Exist
The tariff refund theory depends on the Supreme Court’s February 20, 2026 decision in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, which held 6–3 that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the statute “contains no reference to tariffs or duties” and that taxing imports is a core congressional power that cannot be assumed from a general authorization to “regulate … importation.”3Supreme Court of the United States. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, Nos. 24-1287 and 25-250
The Court did not decide how or whether the federal government has to refund tariffs already collected, estimated at more than $200 billion by 2025.4SCOTUSblog. Supreme Court Strikes Down Tariffs That unresolved question is what the class action plaintiffs are trying to reach: if the retailers get money back from Customs, do they owe a piece of it to customers who paid the marked-up prices?
Temu Data Privacy Class Action
The lead U.S. privacy case is Ziboukh v. Whaleco Inc., filed in the Northern District of Illinois in November 2023. The plaintiffs allege that the Temu app collects personal and biometric data far beyond what its disclosures describe, and the complaint characterizes the app as functioning like “virulent and dangerous malware and spyware.” It brought claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and state laws, with proposed subclasses in Illinois, California, and Virginia.5Top Class Actions. Temu Class Action Lawsuit Claims App Steals User Data
For consumer purposes, the case has largely stalled. In September 2025 a federal judge ruled Temu’s arbitration agreement enforceable and sent the plaintiffs’ claims to private arbitration instead of class litigation. The court also dismissed claims brought on behalf of non-users whose data was allegedly swept up through communications with Temu customers. By May 2026, minor plaintiffs’ claims had been dismissed with prejudice and Temu had moved to dismiss the remaining claims for lack of prosecution.6PACER Monitor. Ziboukh et al v. Whaleco Inc. et al Temu denies the allegations and says it collects only the “minimum information necessary” to run its service.7Global News. Temu App Privacy Class Action Lawsuits
A parallel Canadian class action, filed by Consumer Law Group with applications in Quebec (March 2024) and Ontario (October 2024), remains in motion for Canadian residents.8Consumer Law Group. Temu Shopping App Privacy Violation Canadian Class Action
Shein Copyright Class Action
A group of independent designers and artists filed a proposed class action against Shein in the Southern District of New York in April 2024, Giana v. Shein Distribution Corp. The suit alleges that Shein systematically scrapes popular creative works from the internet and reproduces them as its own products. The proposed class covers anyone with a U.S. copyright used in a Shein product within the statute of limitations period, and the case is still active.9Fashion Dive. Shein Class Action Lawsuit Over Copyright
Unsolicited Text Message Suits
Both retailers have been sued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for marketing texts sent to numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, but almost none of these cases has survived as a class action a consumer could join.
Two Temu texting suits filed in mid-2024 were voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs, with one legal team choosing arbitration instead. A third was filed in the District of Massachusetts in October 2024 and Temu has called it “without merit.”10Fashion Dive. Temu Class Action Lawsuit Over Text Messages
Shein’s leading text case, Ramirez v. Shein US Services, was filed in the Southern District of Florida in 2024 and compelled to arbitration in August 2024; the court closed the file without certifying a class or awarding damages.11Open Class Actions. Shein Class Action Lawsuit Over Florida Spam Text Messages Stayed A similar Indiana suit was dismissed with prejudice in April 2026. Other Shein TCPA cases remain pending in the Middle District of Florida and the District of Massachusetts.12Top Class Actions. Shein Class Action Claims Company Sends Unsolicited Texts
Government Enforcement Actions Are Not Class Actions
Several high-profile cases against Shein and Temu are often described alongside the class actions but are separate, and consumers cannot claim money from them.
In September 2025, the Department of Justice and FTC announced a $2 million civil penalty against Temu’s parent, Whaleco Inc., for violating the INFORM Consumers Act — the first enforcement action ever brought under that statute. The consent order requires Temu to make third-party seller disclosures visible across all versions of its platform and to provide a telephone-based reporting system for suspicious listings.13FTC. Online Marketplace Temu to Pay $2 Million Penalty for Alleged INFORM Act Violations The penalty goes to the government, not to customers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Shein in Collin County District Court in February 2026, alleging violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The state’s petition points to independent testing showing Shein shoes with 428 times the permitted level of phthalates and jackets with 3,300 times the permitted level of PFAS, and alleges Shein fails to disclose that Chinese law could compel it to share Texas consumers’ data with the Chinese government. Texas seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and injunctive relief.14Texas Attorney General. State of Texas v. Shein US Services, LLC, Petition
New York Attorney General Letitia James previously reached a $1.9 million settlement in October 2022 with Zoetop Business Company, Shein and Romwe’s parent, over its handling of a June 2018 breach that affected more than 39 million Shein accounts and 7 million Romwe accounts. Zoetop was required to offer identity theft protection to affected customers and submit to five years of cybersecurity assessments.15New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Secures $1.9 Million From E-Commerce Shein and Romwe Owner Zoetop
Can You File a Claim Right Now?
No. As of mid-2026, none of the class actions against Shein or Temu has produced a settlement fund or a claims portal. The tariff refund cases are new, unopposed on the record, and untested. The main privacy case against Temu has been pushed into individual arbitration. The Shein copyright case is limited to people who own copyrights that were allegedly copied. The TCPA cases that survived have not been certified as classes.
If you bought from either retailer during the tariff period and want to preserve your position, keep your order confirmations and payment records. If a class is certified or a settlement is announced later, class notices are typically sent by email or posted on court-approved settlement websites, and any legitimate claim will be free to file.