Adolco Trading Co. v. United States

71 Cust. Ct. 145, 1973 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3350
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedNovember 29, 1973
DocketC.D. 4487; Court Nos. 68/65804
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 71 Cust. Ct. 145 (Adolco Trading Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adolco Trading Co. v. United States, 71 Cust. Ct. 145, 1973 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3350 (cusc 1973).

Opinion

Rao, Judge:

The merchandise involved in these cases, consolidated for trial, is described on the entry papers as “shopping bags.” It was imported from Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan between March 1968 through July 1970 and was entered at the port of New York.

[147]*147Tbe merchandise was classified under item 706.60, Tariff Schedules of the United States, at 20 per centum ad valorem, as luggage of plastics. It is claimed to be dutiable under item 774.60, as modified by Presidential Proclamation No. 3822, T.D. 68-9, as articles of plastics, not specially provided for, at various rates depending upon the dates of entry. In all of the actions except Court Nos. 69/8845, 70/20678, and 70/65713 with respect to entry No. 235923, the answers raise the affirmative defense that, alternatively, if the merchandise is not luggage for tariff purposes, it is classifiable as handbags under item 706.60. Plaintiffs’ replies deny this. No reply appears to have been filed in Court No. 69/5703.

At the trial defendant was granted leave to amend its pleadings with regard to Court No. 69/8845, to claim that the merchandise should have been classified under item 386.08, as articles of textile materials, not specially provided for, lace or net articles, whether or not ornamented.

The pertinent provisions of the tariff schedules, as modified, are as follows:

Schedule 7, part 1, subpart D
Subpart D headnotes:
H¡ Hs ❖ ❖ ❖ # $
2. For the purposes of the tariff schedules—
(a) the term “luggage” covers—
(i) travel goods, such as trunks, hand trunks, lockers, valises, satchels, suitcases, wardrobe cases, overnight bags, pullman bags, gladstone bags, traveling bags, knapsacks, kitbags, haversacks, duffle bags, and like articles designed to contain clothing or other personal effects during travel; and
(ii) brief cases, portfolios, school bags, photographic equipment bags, golf bags, camera cases, binocular cases, gun cases, occupational luggage cases (physicians’, sample, etc.), and like containers and cases designed to be carried with the person, except handbags as defined herein;
(b) the term “handbags” covers pocketbooks, purses, shoulder bags, clutch bags, and all similar articles, by whatever name known, customarily carried by women or girls, but not including luggage or flat goods as defined herein or shopping bags;
H< H* H* H* H*
[148]*148Luggage and handbags, whether or not fitted with bottle, dining, drinking, manicure, sewing, traveling, or similar sets; and fiat goods:
Of leather:
ijí H» H* H* H» H»
Of unspun fibrous vegetable materials:
ij: Hi Hi # Hi H* Hi
Of textile materials * * *:
Of reinforced or laminated plastics_* * *
Of other materials:
Handbags:
******* Flat goods, of metal:
* * * * H« # %
706.60 Other_ 20% ad val.
Schedule 7, part 12
Articles not specially provided for, of rubber or plastics:
Of shellac or copal_ * * * * * *
Of natural rubber_ * Hi iji % ❖ *
Of casein_ * * * * * *
Of vulcanized fiber_ * $ * $ * *
Other_ 15%, or 18.5% or 11.5% ad val. depending on date of entry m.6o
Schedule 3, part 7, subpart B
Articles not specially provided for, of textile materials:
Lace or net articles, whether or not ornamented, and other articles ornamented :
Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi
386.08 Other- 45% ad val.

At the trial plaintiffs abandoned Court Nos. 68/65804, 69/7629. 69/50143,69/50144, and 70/20678, and Court No. 69/51817 as to Carton No. 366, Court No. 69/52229 as to Style No. A 618, Court No. 70/43187 as to Carton Nos. 49/109, Court No. 70/49107 as to Carton No. 1198, and Court No. 70/60821 as to Style No. 1095. To that extent, the consolidated action will be dismissed.

In view of the fact that entry No. 235923 in Court No. 70/65713 is not in the court files and is not available for inspection, defendant [149]*149contends that plaintiffs’ claim as to the merchandise covered thereby should be overruled for failure of proof. Plaintiffs request that the entry be severed from the action and a continuance granted during which time they would attempt to reconstruct the entry. This request will be granted and plaintiffs given six (6) months from the date of the order of severance to reconstruct the entry and take appropriate steps to dispose of the severed action.

The Government claims that entry No. 517254 in Court No. 70/43188 should be dismissed on the ground that that entry was made by Leonard Satz and the protest was filed by Adolco Trading Co. which was neither the importer of record nor the consignee.

The entry is in the name of Leonard Satz, as importer of record, for the account of Adolco Trading Co. Mr. Satz declared on the entry that

* * * I am [xj the nominal consignee and that the actual owner for customs purposes is as shown above * * *.

No owner’s declaration was filed. The commercial and special customs invoices list Adolco Trading Co. as the purchaser. At the trial, Adolph Cohn testified that he had been the individual owner of Adolco Trading Co. prior to its incorporation three years ago and since then has been president of the incorporated firm. He said that his company was the importer of the merchandise covered by the invoices involved in this case.

Under section 514, Tariff Act of 1930, a protest may be filed by “the importer, consignee, or agent of the person paying such charge.” I hold that the record establishes that Adolco Trading Co. was the owner and importer of the merchandise, and had standing to file a protest as to entry No. 517254, over which this court has jurisdiction. United States v. Hannevig, 10 Ct. Cust. Appls. 124, T.D. 38384 (1920); United States v. Waterbury Lock & Specialty Co., 35 CCPA 131, C.A.D. 384 (1948); Great Lakes Foundry Sand Co. v. United States, 15 Cust. Ct. 256, Abstract 50442 (1945), appeal dismissed 33 CCPA 190 (1945); Air Carrier Supply Corporation et al. v. United States, 35 Cust. Ct. 173, C.D. 1740 (1955), aff'd, 44 CCPA 116, C.A.D. 647 (1957).

After examining the record and considering the arguments of counsel, plaintiffs’ exhibit 5 for identification and defendant’s exhibit F for identification are deemed in evidence, and defendant’s motion to exclude exhibits 2F, 2H, 2L, 2M, 2N, and 2Q, which were received in evidence at the trial, is denied.

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Bluebook (online)
71 Cust. Ct. 145, 1973 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adolco-trading-co-v-united-states-cusc-1973.