American Whaling Co. v. United States

39 Cust. Ct. 209
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedOctober 23, 1957
DocketC. D. 1930
StatusPublished

This text of 39 Cust. Ct. 209 (American Whaling 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
American Whaling Co. v. United States, 39 Cust. Ct. 209 (cusc 1957).

Opinions

Johnson, Judge:

This is a protest against the collector’s re-reliqui-dation of June 18, 1953, following a decision and judgment of this court in American Whaling Company, Inc. v. United States, 30 Cust. Ct. 437, Abstract 57286, which case involved the question of whether certain items of equipment and expenses of repairs to the vessel “Frango” were dutiable under section 466 of the Tariff Act of 1930. It is now claimed that, instead of a refund of $13,761.50, the refund should have been in the sum of $26,824; that is, the sum of $13,062.50 paid pursuant to the liquidation of June 27, 1939, plus the sum of $13,761.50 paid pursuant to the liquidations of June 26, 1941, and of August 20, 1941.

At the first hearing of this case, the defendant moved to dismiss the protest on the ground that the re-reliquidation conformed with [210]*210the judgment of this court and that a protest does not lie against such a reliquidation, except on the question of whether or not the collector followed the judgment.

At the second hearing, the plaintiff moved to amend the protest by making the following additional claims:

1. The vessel is not documented under the laws of the United States to engage in the foreign or coasting trade, or intended to be employed in such trade.
The certificate of registry of the Fbango documents it to engage in the “whale fishery” and hence, equipment or repairs or supplies furnished to the vessel in a foreign port are not subject to the payment of any customs duty under Section 466 of said Act.
2. In any event, equipment or repairs or supplies furnished to said vessel do not come within the purview of either section 446 or section 466 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and your decision assessing duties under said sections is erroneous and void.
Any duty paid is under compulsion and we demand a reliquidation thereof in accordance with our claim.

Decision on both motions was reserved.

The record and exhibits in American Whaling Company, Inc. v. United States, supra, decided April 29, 1953, were then incorporated herein, and the collector’s letter of transmittal and the entry papers in this case were received in evidence.

The history of this case shows the following: On or about November 27, 1936, the master of the vessel “Frango” made entry of equipment purchased for and repairs made to said vessel in a foreign country, the details of which were to be furnished later. Exemption was claimed on the ground that the “Frango” was a whaling vessel engaged in the whale fisheries. The entry was liquidated on June 27, 1939, and duty was assessed in the sum of $13,062.50 under section 466 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This section provides that the equipment purchased for and the expense of repairs made in a foreign country upon a vessel documented under the laws of the United States to engage in the foreign or the coasting trade shall, on the first arrival in any port of the United States, be liable to entry and the payment of an ad valorem duty of 50 per centum of the cost thereof.

Thereafter, on June 26, 1941, the collector reliquidated the entry pursuant to section 521 of the Tariff Act of 1930, on the ground that there was probable cause to believe that there was fraud in the case. According to stipulation of counsel in the incorporated case, certain equipment furnished and repairs made to the “Frango” in a foreign country prior to entry did not appear on the original entry. The reliquidation of June 26, 1941, covered some of said items and “did not amend, alter, change or disturb the original liquidation or the items covered by the original liquidation, against which original liquidation no protest was timely filed.”

[211]*211On August 20, 1941, tbe entry was again reliquidated solely with respect to some of the items covered by the reliquidation of June 26, 1941.

Protests were filed against the liquidation of June 27, 1939, the reliquidation of June 26, 1941, and the re-reliquidation of August 20, 1941, but plaintiff later abandoned its claim as to the original liquidation and the first reliquidation. The protests claimed that the vessel “Frango” was documented for the whale fisheries and that, therefore, the equipment and repairs furnished in a foreign country were not subject to duty.

Prior to the trial in the incorporated case, it had been held by our court of appeals in United States v. American Whaling Co., Inc., 38 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 164, C. A. D. 454, that the vessel “Frango” was documented for the whale fishery and not for foreign trade and that the statutes did not provide for any duty to be assessed on the cost of equipment and repairs incurred in a foreign port by a vessel documented to be employed in the whale fishery. Therefore, the Government conceded that the plaintiff was entitled to a refund of the duties collected under the 1941 reliquidations herein.

The following colloquy occurred at the conclusion of the trial:

Judge Ekwall: Is there any question as to the amount of the refund or is the record complete on that?
Mb. Iseael: I think the record is complete that the amount assessed on the re-reliquidation was $13,761.50.
May I say this: the reliquidation cancelled the liquidation, and in turn the re-reliquidation cancelled the reliquidation for the reason that on the reliquidation there was assessed an increased duty of $26,178.50. That was cancelled by the collector and the final increase, and the only one we are concerned with, on the re-reliquidation was $13,761.50.
Judge Ekwall: What I mean is is the record clear on that?
Mb. Isbael: I think it is. That is the amount, $13,761.50.

In view of the record and concession made by the Government, we held that the increase in duties in the reliquidations, to wit, $13,761.50, should be refunded. The judgment order provided:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED and DECREED: that the protests in this case are sustained insofar as they pertain to the increase in duties resulting in the reliquidation and re-reliquidation of the entry V-2299, and the collector will re-reliquidate the entry and refund such increase in duties amounting to $13,761.50, in accordance with law. * * *

In accordance with said judgment, the collector re-reliquidated the entry on June 18, 1953, granting a refund of $13,761.50.

As has been stated, plaintiff claims that the refund allowed by the collector should have been in the sum of $26,824, the total amount of duties paid on this entry. It is plaintiff's contention that each succeeding liquidation cancels, vacates, and substitutes for the prior [212]

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Bluebook (online)
39 Cust. Ct. 209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-whaling-co-v-united-states-cusc-1957.