Chapa v. United States

48 Cust. Ct. 282
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 21, 1962
DocketC.D. 2350
StatusPublished

This text of 48 Cust. Ct. 282 (Chapa 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
Chapa v. United States, 48 Cust. Ct. 282 (cusc 1962).

Opinion

Richardson, Judge:

Consolidated protests, three in all, are before the court on a motion by the plaintiffs for an order invalidating and setting aside certain reliquidations of the collector at the port of Laredo, Tex., and a cross-motion by the defendant for an order transferring the protests to Laredo, Tex., for trial. The merchandise, which is the subject of the numerous entries covered by these protests, consists of wool and viscose rugs and yarn and manufactures of wool and rayon that were exported from Mexico and entered at the port of Laredo, Tex., at various times in 1955,1956, and 1957.

Plaintiffs contend that these reliquidations are illegal as a matter of law. The crux of plaintiffs’ contention is contained in the statement of counsel made on the argument of the motion, as follows (R. 2) :

Mr. Carter : May it please the Court, these protests were filed against a collector’s reliquidation, on the alleged authority of Section 521, which provides that [283]*283the collector, if he finds probable cause to believe there is fraud in the case, may reliquidate an entry within two years (exclusive of the time which a protest is pending) after the date of liquidation, or last reliquidation.
In this case we claim that the collector has not reliquidated within his authority of Section 521, because in his reliquidation he has found an appraised value different from the value which became final and conclusive by virtue of Section 501.
If the collector was dissatisfied with the value, he should have filed an appeal for reappraisement. The law is very clear on that facet, and he cannot circumvent Section 501 by seeking to invoke Section 521.

In opposition to plaintiffs’ motion, defendant’s attorney argues that (defendant’s memorandum, pp. 2-3), “Since the collector, in the reliquidations now under protest, changed only the dutiable value and did not in any way attack the appraised value, plaintiffs’ motion should be denied, * * The question, which is thus raised by plaintiff’s motion in the light of the contentions of the parties, as aforesaid, is whether or not the reliquidations in question affected the final appraised value of the involved merchandise. Unless this question can be resolved as a matter of law from an inspection of the official papers, ultimate disposition of this and other questions must await the outcome of a plenary hearing. Accordingly, counsel have consented that decision on defendant’s motion be deferred until after plaintiffs’ motion is decided.

The applicable provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, read as follows:

Section 501 (19 U.S.C.A., section 1501) :

(a) The collector shall give written notice of appraisement to the consignee, his agent, or his attorney, if (1) the appraised value is higher than the entered value, or (2) a change in the classification of the merchandise results from the appraiser’s determination of value, or (3) in any case, if the consignee, his agent, or his attorney requests such notice in writing before appraisement, setting forth a substantial reason for requesting the notice. The decision of the appraiser, including all determinations entering into the same, shall be final and conclusive upon all parties unless a written appeal for a reappraisement is filed with or mailed to the United States Customs Court by the collector within sixty days after the date of the appraiser’s report, or filed by the consignee or his agent with the collector within thirty days after the date of personal delivery, or if mailed the date of mailing of written notice of appraisement to the consignee, his agent, or his attorney. * * *

Section 521 (19 U.S.C.A., section 1521) :

If the collector finds probable cause to believe there is fraud in the case, he may reliquidate an entry within two years (exclusive of the time during which a protest is pending) after the date of liquidation or last reliquidation.

While the involved entries are many in number, an examination of the papers discloses certain pertinent facts which are common to all of them. It appears that the involved merchandise was manufactured in Texcoco, Mexico? either by the corporate firm of Tapetes Luxor, [284]*284S.A., or by its subsidiary El Bordador, S. de R.L., and from there transported into the United States by motor carrier, where it was entered at Laredo, Tex., for the account of Tapetes Luxor or El Bordador by customs brokers, among whom was the plaintiff Carlos Chapa. In October 1956, the subsidiary El Bordador was dissolved. Importations that were made thereafter were made by the plaintiff Tapetes Luxor, who also assumed certain financial responsibilities for the prior importations of its now defunct subsidiary El Bordador.

Appraisement of the subject merchandise was predicated upon export market value and was completed on various dates in May 1958, at which times the appraiser’s returns were filed with the collector. On some of the involved entries, the appraiser noted advances in value, and, on others, he noted reductions in value. Concerning those items of merchandise that were advanced in value, the collector sent notices of advance to the plaintiffs in May 1958. Ho appeals for reappraisement were filed with respect to any of the involved entries. Duty adjustments were made where warranted by the proceedings, and in June, July, and August 1958, all of these entries were liquidated.

The consular invoices, which accompanied the entry papers, were prepared and executed by the shipper, Export Shipping Office, S.K.L. of Barcelona, Mexico, as agent for the manufacturers and sellers of the involved merchandise. It is to be observed, however, that the consular invoices did not embrace all of the items of merchandise which were covered by the commercial invoices and reflected in the entry papers. Appended to these consular invoices are supporting data, in the form of expense and packing lists, that were endorsed by the manufacturers. The gravamen of the dispute between the parties centers about one item on this expense list which reads:

Unit prices sliown in consular invoice represent selling price at point of delivery (Laredo, Texas) and include the following expenses:
H: * ¡¡t * * * *
Commission paid to Export Shipping Office (5% x E.O.B. Factory Price)

The amount of the commission was expressed in Mexican currency (pesos) and, of course, varied from invoice to invoice according to the stated units of quantity, measurement, and price involved.

This item on the expense list, as aforesaid, was not involved in the appraisement of the merchandise as returned by the appraiser in May 1958, and did not figure in the collector’s liquidations of June, July, and August 1958, either as a dutiable charge or as a nondutiable charge. Neither did this item figure in the collector’s reliquidation on August 15, 1958, of consumption entry Ho. 1284, dated October 17, 1956, and liquidated on July 10, 1958 (protest Ho. 60/16435). This latter entry was apparently the only entry that was the subject of reliquidation by the collector, other than the [285]*285reliquidations in question, which covered all of the entries herein, including this latter entry. However, the reliquidation of consumption entry No.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Bennett & Loewenthal
2 Ct. Cust. 249 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1911)
United States v. Calhoun
184 F. 499 (S.D. New York, 1911)
Bornn Hat Co. v. United States
215 F. 709 (Second Circuit, 1914)
United States v. Morewood
94 F. 639 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Southern New York, 1899)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 Cust. Ct. 282, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chapa-v-united-states-cusc-1962.