FAG Italia S.p.A. v. United States

20 Ct. Int'l Trade 1377, 948 F. Supp. 67, 20 C.I.T. 1377, 18 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2494, 1996 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 201
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedNovember 22, 1996
DocketConsolidated Court No. 95-03-00335-S
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 20 Ct. Int'l Trade 1377 (FAG Italia S.p.A. 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
FAG Italia S.p.A. v. United States, 20 Ct. Int'l Trade 1377, 948 F. Supp. 67, 20 C.I.T. 1377, 18 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2494, 1996 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 201 (cit 1996).

Opinion

Opinion

TSOUCALAS, Senior Judge:

Plaintiffs and defendant-intervenors, FAG Italia S.p.A. and FAG Bearings Corporation (collectively “FAG”) and SKF USA Inc. and SKF Industrie S.p.A. (collectively “SKF”), challenge aspects of the final results of the fourth antidumping administrative review of the antidumping duty orders, entitled Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From France, et al.; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews, Partial Termination of Administrative Reviews, and Revocation in Part of Antidumping Duty Orders (“Final Results”), 60 Fed. Reg. 10,900 (1995), as amended, Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From France; Amendment to Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews and Recision of Partial Revocation of Antidumping Duty Order (“Amended Final Results”), 60 Fed. Reg. 16,608 (1995).1 Defendant-intervenor and plaintiff, The Tor-rington Company (“Torrington”), also challenges aspects of the fourth review.

Background

The administrative review at issue was conducted by the Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (“Commerce”), pursuant to section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. § 1675 (1992), and concerns antifriction bearing (“AFB”) imports entered during the fourth review period, from May 1, 1992 through April 30, 1993. Final Results, 60 Fed. Reg. at 10,901.

On February 28, 1994, Commerce published the preliminary results of the fourth administrative review. See Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Kingdom; Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews, Partial Termination of Administrative Reviews, and Notice of Intent To Revoke Orders (in Part), 59 Fed. Reg. 9,463 (1994). On February 28, 1995, Commerce published the Final Results at issue. See Final [1379]*1379Results, 60 Fed. Reg. 10,900. After correcting the calculation of U.S. price (“USP”), Commerce published its Amended Final Results on March 31, 1995. Amended Final Results, 60 Fed. Reg. 16,608.

On September 13, 1995, the Court consolidated FAG Italia S.p.A. and FAG Bearings Corp. v. United States, Court No. 95-03-00335-S, SKF USA Inc. and SKF Industrie S.p.A. v. United States, Court No. 95-04-00359, and Torrington Co. v. United States, Court No. 95-03-00352, into this action, Consolidated Court No. 95-03-00335-S. Pursuant to Rule 56.2 of the Rules of this Court, FAG, SKF and Torring-ton move for judgment on the agency record.

FAG alleges that Commerce erred in: (1) employing a rate-based, rather than amount-based, adjustment for value-added taxes (“VAT”); and (2) including sales of sample and prototype merchandise to U.S. customers in its margin calculation.

SKF alleges that Commerce erred in: (1) not utilizing a tax-neutral methodology for adjusting for VAT; (2) failing to exclude certain U.S. prototype transfers from the margin calculation; and (3) adopting an incorrect “all others” cash deposit rate for ball bearings from Italy.

Torrington claims that Commerce erred in: (1) failing to apply 19 C.F.R. § 353.26 (1994), known as the reimbursement regulation, in all instances where (a) transfer prices between related exporters and importers were less than cost of production plus profit, or, alternatively, cost of production, and (b) actual dumping margins were found; (2) taking below-cost sales into account in calculating profit for constructed value; (3) resorting to the use of constructed value where sales were made below cost without first determining whether there were other similar models which could serve as price-based comparisons; (4) adjusting foreign market value for pre-sale inland freight expenses; and (5) making clerical errors.

Discussion

The Court has jurisdiction over this matter under 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(a)(2) (1994) and 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c) (1994).

The Court must uphold Commerce’s final determination unless it is “unsupported by substantial evidence on the record, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(1)(B). Substantial evidence is “more than a mere scintilla. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. 474, 477 (1951) (quoting Consolidated Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229 (1938)). “It is not within the Court’s domain either to weigh the adequate quality or quantity of the evidence for sufficiency or to reject a finding on grounds of a differing interpretation of the record.” Timken Co. v. United States, 12 CIT 955, 962, 699 F. Supp. 300, 306 (1988), aff'd, 894 F.2d 385 (Fed. Cir. 1990).

[1380]*13801. Commerce’s VAT Adjustment Methodology:

FAG and SKF challenge the VAT adjustment methodology that Commerce applied in the fourth review, arguing that Commerce should adopt a tax-neutral methodology and add to USP the absolute amount, as opposed to the ad valorem rate, of VAT collected on the relevant home market sale. FAG’s Mem. Supp. Mot. J. Agency R. at 7-10; SKF’s Mem. Supp. Mot. J. Agency R. at 13-27.

Torrington claims that, while a remand is appropriate for Commerce to review its methodology, the Court should not direct Commerce to employ a specific methodology. Torrington’s Opp’n to Mots. J. Agency R. at 7-14.

Commerce has decided to return to the tax-neutral methodology that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”) held was a reasonable statutory interpretation in Federal-Mogul v. United States, 63 F.3d 1572 (Fed. Cir. 1995), and consents to a remand for this purpose. Def.’s Partial Opp’n to Mots. J. Agency R. at 11; see also FAG U.K. Ltd. v. United States, 20 CIT 1277, 1280, Slip Op. 96-177, at 7 (Nov. 1, 1996) (Commerce similarly consented to, and the Court granted, a remand for the same purpose); Torrington Co. v. United States, 20 CIT 1207, 1214, Slip Op. 96-163, at 16 (Oct. 3, 1996) (same). Hence, in accordance with Federal-Mogul, Commerce is required upon remand to implement the approved tax-neutral methodology in recalculating the adjustment to USP for FAG’s and SKF’s dumping margins.

2. Inclusion of Sales to U.S. Customers of Alleged Sample and Prototype Merchandise in Margin Calculations:

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

Related

Allied Pacific Food (Dalian) Co. v. United States
587 F. Supp. 2d 1330 (Court of International Trade, 2008)
Tung Fong Indust. Co., Inc. v. United States
318 F. Supp. 2d 1321 (Court of International Trade, 2004)
Corus Staal BV v. United States Department of Commerce
259 F. Supp. 2d 1253 (Court of International Trade, 2003)
FAG Italia S.p.A. v. United States
21 Ct. Int'l Trade 880 (Court of International Trade, 1997)
Torrington Co. v. United States
973 F. Supp. 164 (Court of International Trade, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 Ct. Int'l Trade 1377, 948 F. Supp. 67, 20 C.I.T. 1377, 18 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2494, 1996 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fag-italia-spa-v-united-states-cit-1996.