Descoware Corp. v. United States

48 Cust. Ct. 541
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 1, 1962
DocketReap. Dec. 10158; Entry No. 55617
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 48 Cust. Ct. 541 (Descoware Corp. 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
Descoware Corp. v. United States, 48 Cust. Ct. 541 (cusc 1962).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Judge:

The merchandise involved in this appeal for re-appraisement consists of various articles of enameled cast-iron cook-ingware, exported from Belgium on or about March 18, 1960. The articles were appraised at certain unit values in Belgian francs, less 20 per centum, plus packing, as invoiced. By amended statements, filed under rule 15(d), the parties have agreed upon corrected unit values, which are set forth in schedule “A,” attached hereto ,and made a part hereof. Plaintiff claims that the dutiable value is represented by the corrected unit values for the respective articles, less 40 per centum discount, plus 10 per centum sales tax, plus packing, as invoiced.

It was stipulated at the trial that, on or about the date of exportation, such or similar merchandise was not freely offered in Belgium for exportation to the United States. This merchandise appears on the final list published in T.D. 54521, and the parties are in agreement that foreign value, as defined in section 402a (c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956, is the proper basis for determination of the value thereof.

There was received in evidence an affidavit of Octave Bary, president of Fonderie Emaillerie, manufacturer of the imported merchandise, sworn to May 9,1961, to which are attached 3 pricelists, effective August 1, 1950, May 31, 1956, and August 22,1959, respectively. The affiant states that he has been president of Fonderie Emaillerie since April 1960; that, prior to that time and since June 1951, he had been a managing director; and that he has at all times been personally familiar with the sale of enameled cast-iron ware both for home consumption in Belgium and for export to the United States. The affidavit continues:

[543]*543That the items listed on the attached price-lists, which are the same or similar to those sold to the United States, were offered for sale to all buyers in Belgium regardless of their status and without restriction and from such list prices discounts were granted dependent upon the quantity purchased and without regard to the status of the buyer as follows:
Discount
500 kilograms or more 40%
350 kilograms to 500 kilograms 35%
200 kilograms to 350 kilograms 30%
50 kilograms to 200 kilograms 27%
That the sales for home consumption in Belgium for the period January 1, 1959 to December 31,1959 were as follows:
Number of Discount sales
500 kilograms or more 40% 1.176
350 kilograms to 500 kilograms 35% 5
200 kilograms to 350 kilograms 30% 15
50 kilograms to 200 kilograms 27% 31
That the sales for home consumption in Belgium for the period January 1, 1960 to March 15,1960 were as follows:
Number of Discount sales
500 kilograms or more 40% 240
350 kilograms to 500 kilograms 35% 1
200 kilograms to 350 kilograms 30% 5
50 kilograms to 200 kilograms 27% 7
That Fonderies & Emaieleries D’Atjdenarde, located at Audenarde, Belgium is the only other manufacturer of enamelled cast-iron ware similar to that manufactured by Fonderxe Emaxlleeie, Société Anonyme of Brussels.

According to tbe affidavit, from July 16, 1955, until May 4, 1961, sales in Belgium were subject to a transmission tax of 10 per centum of the net invoice amount.

The pricelist, dated August 22, 1959, contains the following statement:

The following discounts are granted on the base prices of this pricelist, in accordance with the size of the order:
For orders of 50 kgs. to 200 kgs.=27%
200 kgs. to 350 kgs.=30%
350 kgs. to 500 kgs.=35%
500 kgs. and more =40%

Defendant offered no evidence but moved to incorporate the record in D. E. Sanford Company v. United States, 40 Cust. Ct. 710, Reap. Dec. 9087, which case involved cast-iron ware, made by the same manufacturer and exported from Belgium between June 14, 1951, and May 18, 1953. There was no objection and the motion was granted.

[544]*544Plaintiff moved to incorporate tbe record in Indussa Corp. v. United States, 47 C.C.P.A. (Customs) 93, C.A.D. 736, which involved enameled cast-iron cooking-ware, manufactured by Fonderie and Emaillerie d’Audenarde, and exported from Belgium on or about January 8, 1955. Defendant objected to the incorporation of the record, on the ground that the merchandise was not manufactured or exported by the same manufacturer; that the date of exportation was about 5 years prior to that involved herein; and that the sales policy, in that case, could not be relevant in the instant case. Plaintiff claims that the record should be incorporated to show the course of doing business in Belgium in this particular type of merchandise. Decision on the motion was reserved.

Plaintiff has renewed the motion in its brief. Defendant has submitted a statement to the effect that it will not file a brief in this case.

Bule 20 provides that a record in a case previously decided may be incorporated where the case under consideration involves questions of law and fact which are substantially the same in character. Under this rule, it has been held that testimony in a former trial should not be admitted over the objection of a party who was not either directly or substantially a party in the former case. Charles H. Demarest, Inc. v. United States, 42 Cust. Ct. 180, C.D. 2084. It has also been held that a record will not be incorporated where the issues are different or the dates of exportation are too remote to make the evidence relevant or the evidence is merely cumulative. William J. Oberle, Inc. (Blumenthal Print Works) v. United States, 8 Cust. Ct. 729, Reap. Dec. 5641; The A. W. Fenton Co., Inc. v. United States, 44 Cust. Ct. 16, C.D. 2147. A record may be admissible for the purpose of showing method of sale, but the values found in the test case control only for the period of time covered by that case. Mexican-American Hat Co., by Koeller-Struss Co., et al. v. United States, 9 Cust. Ct. 681, Reap. Dec. 5756.

In the instant case, the objection was raised by the Government, which, of course, was a party to the former case. The merchandise is similar to that involved in the Indussa case. The issues are substantially the same, but the dates of exportation and the manufacturer are different. The record in the Indussa case cannot establish the value of merchandise subsequently exported nor the method of sale at that time by another manufacturer, but it is relevant for the purpose of showing a continuous course of dealing in this type of merchandise in Belgium in a particular way. It is to be noted that the dates of exportation in the Sanford case, whose record was incorporated without objection, were even more remote than those in the Indussa case.

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Bluebook (online)
48 Cust. Ct. 541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/descoware-corp-v-united-states-cusc-1962.