Robert Shapiro

But we may not all be splitting the recovery if we can get the recovery.

I think it's really going to depend on what arguments are made on that.

So if you're a company that said, here's your tariff surcharge, I think you're more likely to be in a position where someone's going to have a claim to recover.

When it comes to who pays for tariffs, importers, exporters, and yes, consumers split the cost.

Robert Shapiro is with the law firm Thompson Coburn.

He says importers are the ones eligible for refunds since they pay the actual tariff charge.

And getting companies to share with customers could require lawsuits.

This also depends on companies winning their own refund lawsuits.

Stephen Passaha, NPR News.