Nike Lawsuit: Shoppers Want a Share of Nike's $986 Million Tariff Refund
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In June 2025, Nike said it would raise prices to help offset an expected $1 billion in tariff costs. After the Supreme Court struck those tariffs down on February 20, 2026, Nike booked a $986 million recovery — and says it has since received substantially all of it. A Nike class action filed in Oregon on May 8, 2026 says shoppers paid those tariffs and should get the money. Nike also faces a fake-discount suit, data breach suits and an investor case. As of September 30, 2026, none of them has a settlement or a claim form. Keep your Nike order history and receipts.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Tariff Lawsuit Says
According to the plaintiffs' August 14, 2026 filing with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Nike told shareholders in June 2025 that it planned to raise prices to help offset an expected $1 billion in added tariff costs in fiscal 2026 — a “surgical price increase.” Trade-press coverage of the Oregon complaint describes increases of $5 to $10 on footwear and $2 to $10 on apparel.
Those tariffs were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that IEEPA did not authorize them. Under the refund process, the complaints say, only the importer of record can claim the money back — for Nike's imports, that is Nike, not you.
Nike's annual report for the year ended May 31, 2026 records a $986 million benefit for recovering the IEEPA tariffs it paid, “largely offsetting” the impact of the IEEPA tariffs it recognized that year. It had received $302 million by May 31, 2026 and later received substantially all of the remaining $684 million.
The lawsuit alleges Nike stands to recover the same tariff costs twice — once from customers through higher prices, and again from the government — and asks the court to make Nike commit to passing refund money back to consumers. These are allegations. Nike declined to comment to KPTV, and no court has ruled on them.
Case Details
Tariff refund class action. Caldwell v. Nike, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-00923, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Judge Karin J. Immergut, filed May 8, 2026. On August 14, 2026, plaintiffs asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to combine 25 retailer tariff class actions pending in 11 federal court districts — against Amazon, Target, Walmart, Nike, Costco, Shein, Temu and others — as In re: Retailer Tariff Litigation, MDL No. 3202, in the Northern District of Illinois. Caldwell is the Nike case on that list.
Fake-discount class action. Pearson v. Nike, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-04167, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo, filed July 21, 2026. An amended complaint followed on August 25, 2026.
Data breach class actions. Gomez v. Nike, Inc., No. 6:26-cv-00564 (D. Or.), filed March 24, 2026. Court records show an earlier Nike data breach case in the same court, No. 3:26-cv-00426, opened March 4, 2026 and now carrying an “In re” caption before Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman; an amended complaint was filed there on June 1, 2026.
Investor class action. In re Nike, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 3:24-cv-00974 (D. Or.), for buyers of Nike Class B stock from March 19, 2021 through October 1, 2024.
NFT case. Cheema v. Nike, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-02305 (E.D.N.Y.), filed April 25, 2025 by holders of RTFKT sneaker NFTs.
EEOC subpoena case. EEOC v. Nike, No. 4:26-mc-00128, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Judge Cristian M. Stevens, filed February 4, 2026.
Status: No Nike Settlement, No Claim Form
— Tariffs: pending in Oregon. The request to combine the retailer tariff cases (MDL No. 3202) was not on the Panel's September 24, 2026 hearing list; as of September 30, 2026, the Panel's next scheduled session was December 3, 2026. No court has decided whether a retailer owes customers any part of a tariff refund.
— Fake discounts: filed July 21, 2026, amended August 25, 2026. No ruling.
— Data breach: pending in Oregon. No settlement has been reported.
— Investors: on April 1, 2026, Law360 reported that an Oregon federal judge dismissed nearly all of the claims.
— RTFKT NFTs: on January 21, 2026, the court granted Nike's motion to compel arbitration and stayed the case, according to Nike's law firm.
— EEOC: the subpoena case was dismissed on August 12, 2026 at the EEOC's request after Nike provided the information, per HR Daily Advisor. A subpoena case is about documents, not compensation.
Nike's annual report, filed July 15, 2026, says Nike does not believe any pending legal proceedings are material — and that it will keep monitoring developments on “tariff refunds and litigation.”
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Who Could Be Covered — and What to Keep
Shoppers (tariff case): the retailer tariff suits are brought for consumers who paid higher prices while the IEEPA tariffs were in effect. The exact class in the Nike case is up to the court; nothing is certified. According to KPTV's report on the complaint, Nike's price increases began in June 2025.
California online shoppers (fake-discount case): according to a ClaimDepot summary of the complaint, the proposed class is California consumers who bought Nike products on the website or app at a discount from a higher reference price on or after July 21, 2022.
Data breach: people whose information was involved. Per the complaint, Nike began notifying people on February 25, 2026. Keep the notice — it is your proof of membership.
Investors: the suit was brought for people who bought Nike Class B shares from March 19, 2021 through October 1, 2024. After Law360 reported on April 1, 2026 that nearly all claims were dismissed, who is still covered depends on the claims that survived, which we could not confirm.
What to do today: you cannot sign up for a class action, and there is nothing to file. Save your Nike Member order history, receipts and card statements showing Nike purchases from June 2025 on. If a class is certified or a settlement is reached, a court-appointed administrator sends notice.
What a Nike Payout Would Look Like
For honest scale: a nationwide class of Nike shoppers would be large, and more class members means less per person once attorneys' fees and costs come out. Treat any per-person figure you see online as a guess. The other cases are further from money: the investor case lost most of its claims, and the NFT case was sent to arbitration. For how class settlements usually divide a fund, see our class action payout calculator.
Nike Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
June 2025 — Nike Plans Price Increases
Nike tells shareholders it will raise prices to help offset an expected $1 billion in added tariff costs in fiscal 2026, per the MDL filing.
- 2
January 21, 2026 — Breach Found, NFT Case Sent to Arbitration
Per the data breach complaint, Nike discovers unauthorized access involving a third-party service provider on or around this date; notices follow from February 25. The same day, a New York federal court sends the RTFKT NFT case to arbitration.
- 3
February 20, 2026 — Supreme Court Strikes the Tariffs
In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the Court holds that IEEPA did not authorize the tariffs. Importers such as Nike can seek the money back; shoppers cannot.
- 4
May 8, 2026 — Tariff Class Action Filed
Caldwell v. Nike, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-00923, is filed in federal court in Oregon, asking that tariff refund money be passed back to consumers.
- 5
July 15, 2026 — Nike Reports a $986 Million Recovery
Nike's annual report records a $986 million benefit for recovered IEEPA tariffs and says substantially all of it has been received. Six days later, the California fake-discount suit is filed.
- 6
August 14, 2026 — Request to Combine Tariff Cases
Plaintiffs ask the JPML to merge 25 retailer tariff class actions, including the Nike case, as MDL No. 3202. The request was not on the Panel's September 24, 2026 hearing list.
Three Nike Lawsuit Scams to Watch For
A billion-dollar refund headline and a real data breach make an easy script for fraud:
“Claim your Nike tariff refund” messages
There is no Nike tariff refund program for customers and no claims site. A text or email asking you to log in to your Nike account or enter a card number to “receive your refund” is phishing. Open the Nike app or type nike.com yourself.
Messages that quote a real Nike order
Per the complaint, the breach involved names, emails, phone numbers, billing details and transaction histories — enough for a scammer to cite a real purchase. Nike has said no full payment card details or account credentials were accessed, so anyone asking you to “re-verify” a card or password is not Nike.
“RTFKT NFT recovery” services
The RTFKT case was sent to arbitration in January 2026; there is no class payout for NFT holders. A service that asks you to connect your wallet, share a seed phrase or pay a fee to “claim Nike NFT compensation” is after your crypto.
Nike Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a Nike class action settlement I can claim right now?
No. As of September 30, 2026, no Nike class action has a settlement, a claims site or a deadline for customers. The tariff, fake-discount and data breach cases are all still being litigated. For settlements that are open today, see our list of open class action settlements.
What is the Nike lawsuit over tariffs about?
Caldwell v. Nike, Inc. (D. Or. No. 3:26-cv-00923), filed May 8, 2026, says Nike raised prices to cover the IEEPA tariffs, then recovered those tariffs from the government after the Supreme Court struck them down on February 20, 2026. It asks the court to make Nike commit to passing refund money back to consumers. Target faces the same question — see our Target lawsuit page. Shein and Temu are also on the MDL list; see our Shein and Temu pages for their other cases.
How much did Nike get back in tariff refunds?
Nike's annual report for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026 records a $986 million benefit for recovering IEEPA tariffs — $965 million in North America and $21 million at Converse. It had received $302 million by May 31, 2026 and later received substantially all of the remaining $684 million. The report does not mention passing any of it to customers.
What is the Nike class action over fake discounts?
Pearson v. Nike, Inc. (S.D. Cal. No. 3:26-cv-04167), filed July 21, 2026, alleges that Nike's website and app showed crossed-out reference prices Nike had not charged in the prior three months, as California law requires. According to ClaimDepot, the plaintiff bought Killshot 2 shoes on April 26, 2025 for $54.97 against a $100 reference price. The proposed class covers California online buyers since July 21, 2022. No ruling, no settlement.
Was my information in the Nike data breach?
Check for a notice from Nike. Per the complaint, Nike found unauthorized access involving a third-party service provider on or around January 21, 2026 and began notifying people on February 25, 2026. The complaint lists names, email addresses, billing details, phone numbers, transaction histories and payment card data; Nike has said no full payment card details or account credentials were accessed. No settlement exists. To see what comparable cases have paid, try our data breach settlement calculator.
What happened to the Nike RTFKT NFT lawsuit?
Cheema v. Nike, Inc. (E.D.N.Y. No. 1:25-cv-02305) was filed April 25, 2025, after RTFKT, Nike's NFT studio, announced in December 2024 that it was winding down. It alleged the sneaker NFTs were unregistered securities and a “rug pull.” On January 21, 2026, the court granted Nike's motion to compel arbitration and stayed the case, according to DLA Piper, Nike's counsel. There is no class settlement.
Is there a Nike lawsuit for investors?
Yes. In re Nike, Inc. Securities Litigation (D. Or. No. 3:24-cv-00974) was brought for buyers of Nike Class B shares from March 19, 2021 through October 1, 2024 and alleges misleading statements about Nike's Consumer Direct Acceleration strategy. On April 1, 2026, Law360 reported that the judge dismissed nearly all of the claims. There is no settlement and nothing for investors to file.
What was the EEOC case against Nike, and can employees join?
It was not a class action. On February 4, 2026, the EEOC asked a federal court in Missouri (No. 4:26-mc-00128) to enforce a subpoena in its investigation of an alleged pattern or practice of discrimination against white employees, applicants and training program participants. The case was dismissed on August 12, 2026 at the EEOC's request after Nike provided the information, per HR Daily Advisor. There is nothing to join; a worker with a discrimination claim of their own can contact the EEOC directly.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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