Apple Hits Setback in Dispute With European Union Over Tax Case

Apple might end up on the hook after all for billions of euros in back taxes to Ireland in the latest twist in a long-running European Union dispute, following a legal opinion Thursday from to an adviser to the bloc's top court.

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A lower court's decision that the U.S. tech giant doesn't have to repay the 13 billion euros ($13.9 billion) in taxes "should be set aside, Advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella told the European Court of Justice, according to a press release summarizing his opinion.

The case drew outrage from Apple when it was opened in 2016, with CEO Tim Cook calling it "total political crap." Then-U.S. President Donald Trump slammed European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who spearheaded the campaign to root out special tax deals and crack down on big U.S. tech companies, as the "tax lady" who "really hates the U.S."