UPS Class Action Lawsuit: IEEPA Tariffs, Wages, and Discrimination

The most active UPS class action lawsuit right now is a consumer case filed in February 2026 accusing United Parcel Service of keeping tariff-related fees it collected from shipping customers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, after the Supreme Court ruled those tariffs unlawful. The proposed class has not been certified, and there is no claim form to fill out. Several earlier class actions against UPS, covering package measurement overcharges, religious discrimination, California wage claims, and securities fraud, have already been settled or dismissed.

The IEEPA Tariff Class Action Against UPS

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court decided Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump 6-3, holding that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the taxing power “must be delegated expressly” and cannot be inferred from the statute’s grant of authority to “regulate importation.” The ruling wiped out both the “fentanyl” tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China and the “reciprocal” tariffs applied globally.¹²

The same day, plaintiff Hali Anastopoulo filed class action complaints against UPS in the Northern District of Georgia (Anastopoulo v. United Parcel Service Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-01005) and the District of South Carolina (Case No. 2:26-cv-00754).³⁴

The complaints raise two claims. First, breach of contract: UPS’s shipping contracts allow it to collect only lawful duties, so keeping fees tied to invalid tariffs violates the contract terms and the implied covenant of good faith. Second, unjust enrichment: UPS should have to give the money back. Separate reporting adds that some customers were hit with late fees and collections threats while trying to resolve billing errors on incorrect tariff rates.³⁵

Who the Proposed Class Covers

The lawsuit seeks to represent all U.S. residents who paid tariff-related charges to UPS that were imposed under IEEPA.⁶ The class has not been certified as of mid-2026, and there is no process yet for consumers to file claims or formally join.⁷

How to Tell If You Paid an IEEPA Charge

The complaints allege UPS itemized the tariff cost on customer bills, separating the IEEPA duty from brokerage and clearance charges. In a documented example from parallel FedEx litigation, a customer shipping tennis shoes from Germany was billed $36 in tariff-related fees: $21 in IEEPA duties and $15 in brokerage and clearance costs. Broader reporting on this wave of cases noted that brokerage fees sometimes totaled nearly as much as the tariff itself.⁸⁴⁵ If your UPS invoice from that period lists an itemized IEEPA duty, you likely fall within the proposed class definition.

Where the Case Stands

UPS filed a motion to dismiss or, alternatively, to compel arbitration in the Georgia case on May 11, 2026. The plaintiff opposed on May 22, and UPS replied on June 5. The motion was submitted to Judge Victoria M. Calvert on June 8, 2026, and is pending. Judge Calvert also granted UPS’s request to stay discovery on May 26, so initial disclosures and scheduling are on hold until the court rules on the motion.⁹

Plaintiffs in the FedEx cases have moved to consolidate 11 lawsuits before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. No similar consolidation motion has been filed for the UPS cases as of mid-2026.⁸

UPS’s Refund Page and the CBP Process

UPS has said it “will support our customers in obtaining IEEPA tariff refunds due from the government after a refund process is established by CBP.” The company has a tariff refunds page explaining that where UPS was the importer of record, it is handling refund requests on behalf of customers and will pass funds along once Customs and Border Protection releases them. Administrative, brokerage, and disbursement fees are not refundable.⁸¹⁰

The government side is moving slowly. CBP launched Phase 1 of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries platform on April 20, 2026. By late April, about 21 percent of eligible entries had been accepted for removal of IEEPA duties, and roughly 3 percent had reached liquidation and refund. The full scope is about $166 billion across 53 million entries for more than 330,000 importers, with interest running at roughly $650 million a month.¹⁰

Here is the tension the class action is built to resolve: CBP sends refunds to the importer of record, not to the end consumer who actually paid the surcharge. The lawsuit is the consumers’ route to make sure the money reaches them rather than stopping at the carrier.⁸

Earlier UPS Class Actions and Where They Ended

Older UPS class actions are already closed, so they aren’t a source of current claims. A short recap in case you’re looking for one of them:

Package Measurement Overcharges ($12 Million Settlement)

Barber Auto Sales alleged UPS used unapproved laser-based measurement systems to re-measure packages and back-charge customers, with no way to dispute the results. A parallel 2007 case by Persepolis Enterprise cited sampled overcharges of $3.52 to $31.43 per package. UPS settled for $12 million ($10 million in credits and refunds, $2 million in a settlement account, plus $4 million in legal fees), covering shippers who paid additional charges between May 15, 2006, and August 29, 2011. Final approval came in December 2011 in Birmingham. UPS admitted no wrongdoing.¹¹¹²

EEOC Religious Discrimination ($4.9 Million Settlement)

The EEOC sued UPS in July 2015 over an appearance policy that barred male employees in supervisory or customer-facing jobs from wearing beards or hair below collar length. The agency alleged UPS had, since at least 2005, failed to hire, promote, or accommodate applicants and employees whose religious practices conflicted with the policy, including Muslims, Sikhs, and Rastafarians, and had routed those who received accommodations into back-of-facility roles. In December 2018, Judge Margo K. Brodie in the Eastern District of New York entered a five-year consent decree under which UPS paid $4.9 million, revamped its accommodation process and supervisor training, and agreed to report to the EEOC. UPS denied wrongdoing.¹³¹⁴

California Wage and Hour Settlement

In Augustine, et al. v. United Parcel Service, Inc. (Lead Case No. BC636468, Los Angeles Superior Court), California package car delivery drivers alleged unpaid wages, unreimbursed expenses, and PAGA penalties. The class covered hourly, non-exempt delivery drivers employed during various windows between 2012 and January 2024, depending on the claim. Final approval was granted on July 30, 2024.¹⁵

Securities Fraud (Voluntarily Dismissed)

A securities class action filed in October 2024 accused UPS of misleading investors about 2024 revenue, margins, and volume growth during a class period of January 30, 2024, through July 22, 2024. On July 23, 2024, UPS lowered its guidance and the stock fell from $145.18 to $127.68, roughly 12 percent. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the case on November 14, 2024, before the December 9, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline.¹⁶¹⁷

What to Do If You Paid a UPS IEEPA Charge

Pull your UPS invoices from the IEEPA tariff period and check whether any lines are itemized as IEEPA duties or as brokerage and clearance charges tied to those tariffs. Keep them. If UPS was the importer of record, check UPS’s tariff refunds page for its refund handling process. Watch the Georgia docket for a ruling on the motion to dismiss or to compel arbitration, which will decide whether the class action moves forward or gets pushed into individual arbitration. Until a class is certified and a claims process opens, there is nothing to file.

1
SCOTUSblog. A Breakdown of the Court’s Tariff Decision
2
Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting. Supreme Court Tariff Ruling in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump
3
ClassAction.org. Anastopoulo v. United Parcel Service Inc. Complaint
4
Arnold & Porter. The Next Wave of Tariff Litigation
5
Business Insider. FedEx, UPS Face Lawsuits Over Customer Tariff Brokerage Fees
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ClassAction.org. Class Action Lawsuit Claims UPS Collected Illegal Tariffs From Importers, Consumers
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Top Class Actions. UPS Class Action Claims Company Collected Illegal Tariffs From Consumers
8
Bloomberg Law. FedEx, Costco, UPS Are Main Targets for Consumer Tariff Refunds
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CourtListener. Anastopoulo v. United Parcel Service Inc. Docket
10
UPS. Tariff Refunds
11
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro. UPS Accused of Cheating Their Customers and Franchises
12
Stoll Berne. Class Action Against UPS for Improperly Measured Packages Settled
13
EEOC. UPS to Pay $4.9 Million to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination Suit
14
Business Insider. UPS Religious Discrimination Allegations
15
Augustine v. UPS Class Action Settlement. Augustine v. United Parcel Service Inc. Settlement
16
Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse. United Parcel Service Inc. Securities Litigation
17
Levi & Korsinsky LLP. United Parcel Service Inc. Class Action Lawsuit