WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States (US) delivery and freight giant FedEx sued the Trump administration Monday seeking to reclaim money it paid for tariffs that have now been ruled illegal.

The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s signature global tariffs last week, ruling that he had exceeded his authority in tapping emergency economic powers to impose them.

It was a major political setback for Trump, striking down a cornerstone of his economic agenda, and has also opened up the government to legal action.

FedEx is seeking a “full refund” of the duties it paid on imported goods in its suit against Customs and Border Protection, filed at the US Court of International Trade.

The lawsuit appears to be the first from a major company since the Supreme Court ruling, which did not address how refunds would be handled — though one justice acknowledged it could be a “mess.”

Several lawsuits had already been filed before the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling.

The tariffs raised more than $130 billion from importers, collected by the government.

After the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s country-specific tariffs last week, the president turned to a separate law to sign an order for broad 10 per cent duties on imports, taking effect Tuesday.

He later vowed to hike the new tariffs to 15 per cent.