Latest news with #VictorSchwartz
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
How a small wine company complicated Trump's sweeping tariff plans
Victor Schwartz was cooking dinner — a bottle of Vermentino wine already uncorked — when he received the news Wednesday evening. A little-known federal trade court had overturned President Donald Trump's sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs, which had sent shock waves through markets worldwide in recent weeks. And Schwartz's tiny wine-importing company, V.O.S. Selections in New York City, was at the center of the lawsuit that had just thwarted the White House's plans.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Did a Wine Importer Just Sink Trump's Trade War?
Hosted by Rachel Abrams Featuring Jeanna Smialek Produced by Olivia NattAlex Stern and Jessica Cheung Edited by Marc Georges and Paige Cowett Original music by Rowan Niemisto Engineered by Alyssa Moxley A panel of federal judges ruled on Wednesday that many of President Trump's tariffs were illegal, a decision that has threatened to derail his trade agenda. Victor Schwartz, the wine importer at the center of the case, explains why he decided to take on the president, and Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The Times, discusses what options Mr. Trump has to save his trade war. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Victor Schwartz, a small wine importer and the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Mr. Trump's tariffs. Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times. The U.S. Court of International Trade said Mr. Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing his 'reciprocal' tariffs globally. An appeals court spared the tariffs while it considered the challenge. From March: Wine businesses were struck with fears of disaster under the threat of huge tariffs. There are a lot of ways to listen to 'The Daily.' Here's how. We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode's publication. You can find them at the top of the page. Special thanks to Susan C. Beachy. The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon M. Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, Brendan Klinkenberg, Chris Haxel, Maria Byrne, Anna Foley and Caitlin O'Keefe. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam, Nick Pitman and Kathleen O'Brien.
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
How an NYC wine company helped take on Trump's tariffs and won, at least for a day
When Victor Schwartz began his small, New York City-based wine company nearly 40 years ago, he certainly never expected to be facing off against the most powerful person in the world. But Schwartz and his company VOS Selections are the lead plaintiffs in a legal battle against some of Donald Trump's tariffs, in a case which could have economic implications across the world. "I didn't start my company with the idea of like I'm going to sue the president of the United States some day," Schwartz told CBC News. "That was not my goal in life. I just wanted to bring in really nice wine to sell to people that enjoyed them." Yet Schwartz's company was instrumental in landing a serious legal blow against Trump's tariff policies on Wednesday, when a court ruled the administration had exceeded its right to impose some of those tariffs and had to stop collecting them. Short-lived victory The victory, however, was short lived when, a day later, a U.S. federal appeals court granted an emergency motion that would allow the administration to continue the tariffs, at least temporarily. Schwartz seemed to take the reversal in stride. "That's just part of the process. It's not like we thought we won the case after that decision [Wednesday] This process, we knew was going to be appealed," he said. In February, Trump invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, saying that the illegal flow of immigrants and drugs across the U.S. border amounted to a national emergency and that the three countries needed to do more to stop it. Last month, Trump also cited the IEEPA when he imposed what he referred to as "reciprocal" tariffs which, he said, were needed to address the U.S. trade balance with other countries. He later suspended those tariffs for 90 days to give countries time to agree to reduce barriers to U.S. exports. In its ruling Wednesday, a three-judge panel at the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade, found that the president had exceeded his authority when he invoked that act. The ruling came in a pair of lawsuits. One was filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small U.S. businesses, including VOS Selections, which import goods from countries targeted by the tariffs. The other lawsuit was filed by 12 U.S. states. Schwartz says when the first decision came down on Wednesday he wasn't exactly sure what it meant until a lawyer friend explained it to him. "Then I was pretty elated, and I knew it was a really good thing for everybody, for us, for small businesses across the country, and for world trade, you know?" he said. The tariffs are "really just a terrible, terrible impact on what we're trying to do here." He celebrated in his Manhattan apartment with his wife, and of course a special bottle of wine, a vermentino from France. His company, which he runs with his daughter Chloe, imports wines from 16 countries and distributes them to neighbouring states. Schwartz says he runs a family company that works with family operations and family farms in Europe and the U.S. Asked to join the case Schwartz says he didn't seek legal redress but found out through a family member that Ilya Somin, a constitutional law professor at George Mason University, was going to be bringing a case against the tariffs. Schwartz says he contacted Somin just to tell him about what was going on in his industry and that Somin was very interested to hear his story. "Long story short, they asked me to join the case and then eventually asked me to be their lead plaintiff," he said. "That's really how it evolved. I'm a very unintentional plaintiff here. I didn't go out looking for this fight." WATCH | Carney welcomes ruling blocking some Trump tariffs: Carney welcomes U.S. court decision blocking some Trump tariffs 9 hours ago Duration 11:51 Prime Minister Mark Carney says a U.S. court decision that struck down some of Donald Trump's tariffs shows that they were 'unlawful as well as unjustified.' A three-judge panel ruled the president overstepped his constitutional authority by using emergency powers to impose sweeping levies on global goods. He says the first time he read the legal complaint, with his company's name on it, he laughed "kind of crazily." "'VOS Selections versus Trump.' It was like a kind of dream," said Schwartz. "It was 'Wow, this is amazing.'" Meanwhile, Somin, the law professor, said in his blog on Thursday that the appeal court ruling was not an indefinite stay, but a temporary block while a decision is made over whether a more permanent stay, pending appeal, should be implemented. If the case eventually makes its way to the Supreme Court, Somin told CBC News that his team is "guardedly optimistic" they will prevail. He says he was not surprised by Wednesday's ruling. Somin says that, during oral arguments a couple of weeks ago, the judges seemed to make it pretty clear that they did not accept the administration's claim that the president "essentially has the power to impose any tariffs he wants on any country at any time for any reason, for as long as he wants, as long if he feels like it." That, said Somin, is a "massive power grab."
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Going to change the whole game plan': Father-daughter wine company gives legal blow to Trump's tariffs
A tiny New York-based wine importer has found itself at the centre of a major legal victory over US President Donald Trump 's global trade tariffs, after a landmark court ruling that could reshape America's approach to international trade. VOS Selections, a small business run by father-and-daughter duo Victor and Chloe Schwartz, led a lawsuit that resulted in a three-judge panel at the US Court of International Trade striking down most of Trump's sweeping tariffs. The court ruled that the US president had exceeded his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose tariffs on countries including China, Canada and Mexico. Victor Schwartz, who founded VOS 40 years ago, said he never imagined his business would be at the forefront of a constitutional battle. 'Put it this way: when I started VOS 40 years ago I had no idea that I was signing up for something like this, getting involved in a lawsuit against the executive branch of the United States,' he told CNN. 'I just wanted to bring in these delicious wines from interesting appellations across the world and sell those wines to a like-minded community.' Schwartz, who imports wine, sake and spirits from boutique producers in France, Lebanon, Japan and elsewhere, said the tariffs posed an 'existential threat' to small businesses like his, which lack the financial buffers of large corporations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What does it take to be an air traffic controller in Singapore? CNA Read More Undo 'We're not a big company. We can't just ride out the storm,' he said. The case was brought with the help of the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian legal group, which represented VOS and four other small businesses, including a cycling apparel brand and a fishing tackle retailer. Lead attorney Jeffrey Schwab said the case was about much more than economics. 'This is a very important case,' not just because of its economic impact, but 'because of the tremendous power grab that the administration is claiming here," Schwab said. The White House has launched an appeal against the decision, with spokesperson Kush Desai arguing, 'It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.' The appeal could eventually reach the Supreme Court. For Victor Schwartz, the court's decision is already a major milestone. 'We knocked back the tariffs. It's going to change the whole game plan,' he said, elated after hearing the news from his lawyers while making pasta on Wednesday evening. As the phone rang with congratulations and media requests, there was one certainty about how Schwartz planned to mark the occasion, with a celebratory bottle of wine.
CNN
6 days ago
- Business
- CNN
How a small, family-run wine company hit back against Donald Trump's tariffs
Behind the monumental court ruling that blocked most of US President Donald Trump's tariffs is a small wine company run by a father-and-daughter duo. VOS Selections – a small, New York-based wine company – was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit which prompted a three-judge panel at the US Court of International Trade to strike down Trump's sweeping global tariffs on Wednesday. The decision found Trump overstepped his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose sweeping tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico and other US trading partners. VOS founder Victor Schwartz never intended to be at the forefront of the resistance to US government policy. 'Put it this way: when I started VOS 40 years ago I had no idea that I was signing up for something like this, getting involved in a lawsuit against the executive branch of the United States,' Schwartz, who runs the business alongside his daughter Chloe, told CNN. 'I just wanted to bring in these delicious wines from interesting appellations across the world and sell those wines to a like-minded community.' Schwartz was in the middle of cooking a pasta dinner Wednesday when he received an email from his lawyers telling him they had won. His first reaction? Disbelief. Then, his phone started ringing off the hook with media requests and messages of congratulations. The Trump administration immediately launched an appeal against the ruling, which could make it all the way to the Supreme Court. If it survives the challenge, the ruling would put an end to almost all of Trump's tariffs, and cut into his leverage when negotiating trade deals with other countries. Tariffs on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum will continue because they were enacted under a different law. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that 'it is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.' The Trump administration's tariffs have been particularly painful for small businesses, which have had to weather surging prices and constantly shifting trade policies without the level of cash flow that larger companies can dip into. Schwartz said his business, which imports wine, sake and spirits from small-batch producers in countries including France, Lebanon and Japan, was hurt by Trump's tariffs during the president's first term. 'We're not a big company. We can't just ride out the storm,' Schwartz said. This time around, when Trump announced unprecedented global tariffs on almost all US trading partners, Schwartz knew he had to fight back. 'Something like this is a complete monkey wrench in your business,' he said, describing the tariffs as an 'existential threat.' Schwartz was put in touch with lawyers at the libertarian advocacy group Liberty Justice Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of VOS and four other small businesses, including a women's cycling apparel company and an online fishing tackle shop. After some reflection and discussion with his family, Schwartz agreed to be the lead plaintiff in the case, the outcome of which will have implications for consumers and businesses around the world. Jeffrey Schwab, lead attorney for the Liberty Justice Center, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins 'this is a very important case,' not just because of its economic impact, but 'because of the tremendous power grab that the administration is claiming here.' Schwartz said he is confident in his lawsuit and plans to see it all the way through to the Supreme Court, if necessary. He said the latest ruling is a win for small businesses everywhere. 'We knocked back the tariffs. It's going to change the whole game plan,' he said, clearly elated. As one would expect, Schwartz plans to celebrate with a nice bottle of wine.
