Blame It on Tariffs: New Excuses for Bankruptcies

Store closing signs outside an At Home store in Rego Park, Queens in June.Photographer: Georgia Hall/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Georgia Hall

July 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM EDT

Corrected

July 29, 2025 at 11:47 AM EDT

When At Home Group Inc.’s lawyer stood before a US bankruptcy judge last month asking to wipe out nearly $2 billion of the retailer’s debt, the reason came quick: tariffs.

It’s a line that’s showing up in more and more courtrooms. Tile importer Mosaic Cos. blamed them in a recent filing. Just weeks earlier, it was auto-parts supplier Marelli Holdings Co. and aluminum trader Sinobec Group Inc. In all, tariffs have been laid out as a key reason in at least 10 bankruptcies in the US since early April, when President Donald Trump first unveiled a new wave of levies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.