Goto v. United States

7 Cust. Ct. 189, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1373
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedDecember 5, 1941
DocketC. D. 565
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 7 Cust. Ct. 189 (Goto 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
Goto v. United States, 7 Cust. Ct. 189, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1373 (cusc 1941).

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

In these four suits, which were consolidated for trial, the plaintiffs seek to recover a part of the duty assessed on certain Japanese silk goods imported at the port of San Francisco. The entries were made under duress at a higher value than as invoiced to meet advances made by the appraiser in certain test cases and the merchandise covered by the entries herein involved was finally appraised at a value which did not include a certain Japanese textile tax. The collector assessed duty upon the basis of the entered value, rather than the final appraised value, because the so-called duress certificates filed with the entries failed to cite the proper entry numbers of similar cases then pending on appeal to reappraisement, under the authority of section 489 of the Tariff Act of 1922, the pertinent parts of which read as follows:

SEC. 489. * * *.
Duties shall not, however, be assessed upon an amount less than the entered value, except in a case where the importer certifies at the time of entry that the entered value is higher than the value as defined in this Act, and that the goods are so entered in order to meet advances by the appraiser in similar cases then pending on appeal for reappraisement or re-reappraisement, and the importer’s contention in said pending cases shall subsequently be sustained, wholly or in [190]*190part, by a final decision on reappraisement or re-reappraisement, and it shall appear that the action of the importer on entry was so taken in good faith, after due diligence and inquiry on his part, and the collector shall liquidate the entry in accordance with the final appraisement.

In M. Bernstein v. United States, 18 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 193, T. D. 44379, the court held that the above-quoted section contemplates that the importer shall cite the entry number of the test case in his certificate attached to duress entries.

The plaintiffs rely upon the claim that the certificates attached to the entries failed to name the proper entry numbers of the test cases due to a clerical error and evidence was introduced in the form of letters (exhibit 3) addressed to the collector showing that counsel for the plaintiffs requested the collector to reliquidate the entries on the ground that through clerical error the importers failed to cite the correct entry numbers of the test cases and permission was requested to correct that error. The protests were filed within 60 days after the collector’s refusal to reliquidate the entries on the ground of clerical error.

The plaintiffs abandoned the protests with respect to all entries except those enumerated in schedule A in their brief, which schedule reads as follows:

The record shows that in 1923 the attorney for the plaintiffs furnished the customs brokerage firm which made the entries with a form of certificate to be used on all duress entries covering Japanese silk goods, a copy thereof being admitted in evidence and marked exhibit 2: that in 1927 the attorney furnished the customs broker [191]*191with a new form of certificate containing additional entry numbers of test cases, a copy of which was admitted in evidence and marked exhibit 1; that the attorney requested that the new certificate be used on all duress entries covering the same kind of merchandise. Mr. Robert E. Blinn, who is connected with the customs brokerage firm which made the entries, testified that he intended to follow the instructions and he used the new form in a great many cases but he used the old form in the entries herein involved due to an error on his part; that he ran out of the new forms and went to the customhouse and made a copy of a certificate on another entry and inadvertently he copied an old form of certificate rather than the new and one of the girls in his office made copies of that form of certificate which he attached to the entries herein involved. The testimony with respect to the intention of the witness when he filed the certificates reads as follows:

Q. You had received the certificate with instructions to use it?- — A. Yes.
Q. Was it your intention at all times after February 8, 1927, in filing or preparing entries for filing covering silk goods from Japan to enter them by using the form of certificate that Mr. Lawrence had instructed or advised you to use?— A. Why, yes, certainly.
Q. I am referring, Mr. Blinn, to what you have called the second form of certificate, the one marked Exhibit 1. Are you also referring to that? — A. Yes. May I also say this: it was my intention to attach the duress certificate as I was instructed, and if I didn’t follow instructions it has been too bad. That’s all.
Q. Was it your intention to follow the instructions of Mr. Lawrence in the matter?- — A. Yes.

Exhibits 1 and 2 read as follows:

(Exhibit 1)
CERTIFICATE OF PENDING REAPPRAISEMENT ON JAPANESE TAX ISSUE.
It is certified that the entered value of the merchandise mentioned below is higher than the value as defined in the tariff act of 1922, and that the goods are so entered in order to meet advances by the appraiser in similar cases now pending on appeal for reappraisement. The similar cases now pending on appeal are Boston entries 7577 and 9106 of December 22, 1922, and December 17, 1924, covered by reappraisement circulars 36094 and 192; Seattle warehouse entry 404 of September 9, 1926; San Francisco entry 10788, of December 27, 1926, and New York entries 765862, 861445, also 59011, 768869, 754262, 62996, 1922-3 series covered by reappraisement circular 36040.
It is contended that the duty should be assessed on the basis of a value exclusive of the items specified; in other words, that the Japanese textile tax is not a part of the dutiable value.
(Exhibit 2)
CERTIFICATE OF PENDING REAPPRAISEMENT ON JAPANESE TAX ISSUE
It is certified that the entered value of the merchandise mentioned below is. higher than the value as defined in the tariff act of 1922, and that the goods are so entered in order to meet advances by the appraiser in similar cases now pending on appeal for reappraisement. The similar cases now pending are entries 765862, 861445 and others, at the port of New York.
[192]*192It is contended that the duty should be assessed on the basis of a value exclusive of the items specified; in other words, that the Japanese textile tax is not a part of the dutiable value.
Items: Yen 73.57

The next witness called by the plaintiffs was Mr. Frank L. Lawrence, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. He testified that the entry numbers of the test cases on the certificate exhibit 2 were furnished to his client by Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
7 Cust. Ct. 189, 1941 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1373, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goto-v-united-states-cusc-1941.