A.D. Sutton & Sons v. United States

32 Ct. Int'l Trade 804, 2008 CIT 78
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedJuly 16, 2008
DocketCourt 03-00510
StatusPublished

This text of 32 Ct. Int'l Trade 804 (A.D. Sutton & Sons v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of International Trade primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
A.D. Sutton & Sons v. United States, 32 Ct. Int'l Trade 804, 2008 CIT 78 (cit 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

RESTANI, Chief Judge:

This matter is before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment by plaintiff A.D. Sutton & Sons (“A.D. Sutton”) and defendant United States (“the Government”). 1 A.D. Sutton challenges the classification for tariff purposes of its imported merchandise, bags that it claims are used to store baby food and beverages. The United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (“Customs”) classified the bags under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (1998) (“HTSUS”) subheading 4202.92.45 as other “[t]ravel, sports and similar bags” at 20% ad valorem, 2 A.D. Sutton contends that the bags should be classified under subheading 3924.10.50 as other plastic “[t]ableware and kitch *805 enware” at 3.4% ad valorem, 3 Because a genuine issue of material fact exists as to the principal use of the bags, the motions for summary judgment will be denied.

BACKGROUND

The bags at issue entered through the Port of Newark in 1997 and 1998 and were liquidated in 1998 and 1999. (Gov’t’s Resp. to A.D. Sutton’s Statement of Material Facts Not in Issue ¶¶ 7-8.) The parties agree that the bags are approximately 11" high x 9" wide x 5" deep, that they are constructed of an outer and inner layer of plastic, and that some of the bags contain a middle layer of foam approximately three millimeters thick. (Id. at ¶ 13.) The parties also agree that the bags consist of a 495-cubic-inch compartment secured by a zipper or velcro mechanism, and have carrying straps and two internal elastic loops. (Id. at ¶ 14; Mem. in Opp’n to Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. & in Supp. of Def.’s Cross-Mot. for Summ. J. (“Def.’s Opp’n & Cross-Mot. for Summ. J.”) 15.) A.D. Sutton refers to the bags as “insulated soft-sided coolers” or “bottle bags” and claims that they are “used to store and transport infants’ food and beverages over short periods of time.” (Gov’t’s Resp. to A.D. Sutton’s Statement of Material Facts Not in Issue ¶ 10; Pl.’s Resp. to Def.’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 1.) It contends that the “specific design of the two layers of [plastic] sheeting enclosing cell foam plastic insulation allows for storage and transportation of food at or near desired temperatures for a reasonable amount of time.” (Pl.’s Mem. of Law in Supp. of Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. (May 11, 2007) (“Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J.”) 5.)

Customs initially classified the bags as part of a set under HTSUS subheading 4202.92.45, as they were imported as part of “3-in-l” and “5-in-l” diaper bag sets. (Pl.’s Resp. to Def.’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 1; Answer to Compl. ¶ 6.) A.D. Sutton commenced this action to challenge the set determination, arguing that the bags should be classified individually and under subheading 3924.10.50. (Compl. ¶¶ 41-44.) After A.D. Sutton filed a motion for summary judgment, the Government conceded the set issue and moved to stay the action to conduct additional discovery to determine whether the bags were properly classifiable under heading 4202 or heading 3924. (Order Granting Mot. to Stay (Dec. 15, 2006); Consent Mot. to Stay; *806 Pl.’s Mem. of Law in Supp. of Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Sept. 29, 2006) (“First Summ. J. Mot.”), Ex. Ato Def’s Opp’n & Cross-Mot. for Summ. J.) While the action was stayed, Customs tested samples of the bags to determine their insulative properties. (Joint Status Report.) Based on the test results, Customs concluded that the bags’ foam layer possesses no insulative properties and therefore could not effectively maintain food and beverage temperature, and classified the bags under subheading 4202.92.45. (Id. ; Def.’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶¶ 6-7.)

A.D. Sutton withdrew its prior summary judgment motion and filed the present motion, adhering to its claim that the bags should be classified under subheading 3924.10.50. (Withdrawal of Mot. for Summ. J.; see generally Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J.) The Government cross-moved for summary judgment, urging the court to sustain its classification. (See generally Def.’s Opp’n & Cross-Mot. for Summ. J.)

JURISDICTION & STANDARD OF REVIEW

The court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1581(a) in this action to contest the denial of timely protests filed under Section 515 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Summary judgment is appropriate “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” USCIT R. 56(c).

Determining the proper classification of imported merchandise involves a two step analysis: “(1) ascertaining the proper meaning of specific terms in the tariff provision; and (2) determining whether the merchandise at issue comes within the description of such terms as properly construed.” Pillowtex Corp. v. United States, 171 F.3d 1370, 1373 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (citing Bausch & Lomb, Inc. v. United States, 148 F.3d 1363, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 1998)). The first step is a question of law, and the second is a question of fact. Id. Both are decided de novo here. 28 U.S.C. § 2640(a)(1); Cargill, Inc. v. United States, 318 F.Supp.2d 1279, 1287 (CIT 2004). Customs’ classification of imported merchandise is presumed to be correct under 28 U.S.C. § 2639(a)(1). This presumption of correctness attaches only to factual determinations. Universal Elecs. Inc. v. United States, 112 F.3d 488, 492 (Fed. Cir. 1997). An importer challenging the decision has the burden of overcoming the presumption. 28 U.S.C. § 2639(a)(1).

*807 DISCUSSION

I

Preliminarily, A.D. Sutton contends that the Government’s prior stipulations that similar bags were classifiable under subheading 3924.10.50 preclude the Government from now arguing otherwise. (Pl.’s Resp. to Def.’s Cross-Mot. for Summ. J. & Pl.’s Reply (“Pl.’s Resp. & Reply”) 8-9.) This argument lacks merit. In classification cases, “[e]ach new entry is a new classification,” and res judicata does not apply to bar successive litigation over the classification of subsequent similar imported merchandise, even if it involves the same issues of fact and questions of law. Aves, in Leather, Inc. v.

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32 Ct. Int'l Trade 804, 2008 CIT 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ad-sutton-sons-v-united-states-cit-2008.