Importer Drops Suit Seeking Class Certification for IEEPA Tariff Refunds at CIT
The importer seeking class certification at the Court of International Trade to obtain refunds for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act voluntarily dismissed its case June 16. Counsel for the importer didn't respond to a request for comment (Chapter1 v. United States, CIT # 25-00097).
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The company, Chapter1, a small Nevada-based importer represented by boutique litigation firm Gerstein Harrow, filed suit last month following the trade court's decision to vacate all executive orders implementing the IEEPA tariffs (see 2505300024). The company sought class certification for all importers that paid the tariffs invalidated by the trade court, though the CIT decision was stayed pending appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (see 2506100076).
Chapter1 argued that the trade court's rules for class certification, governed by Rule 23(a) and (b)(3), are met, since hundreds of thousands of companies have the exact same claim for refunds based on the same legal theory. The importer seeking class certification sought refunds for IEEPA tariffs paid on an imported machine not made in the U.S. that creates two skin care products invented by the company's owner, Ali Shaubzada. Specifically, Chapter1 said it paid $22,953.50 in IEEPA tariffs on a product worth $15,830.