Intra-Mar Shipping Corp. v. United States

66 Cust. Ct. 3, 1971 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2424
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJanuary 8, 1971
DocketC.D. 4160
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 66 Cust. Ct. 3 (Intra-Mar Shipping 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
Intra-Mar Shipping Corp. v. United States, 66 Cust. Ct. 3, 1971 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2424 (cusc 1971).

Opinion

Kao, Chief Judge:

This case is before the court upon an order setting aside an order of dismissal and restoring the case to the docket “for the purpose of adducing evidence relative to the service of copies of the court decision and judgment entered on January 24, 1968.”

The merchandise involved herein consists of nylon yarn assessed with duty at 50 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 1301 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and claimed to be dutiable at 22% per centum ad valorem or 25 cents per pound under said paragraph, as modified. Plaintiff contends that similar merchandise was held dutiable at 22% per centum ad valorem under said paragraph, as modified, in Chester Tricot Mills, Inc. v. United States, 56 Cust. Ct. 532, C.D. 2695 (1966).

The protest herein appeared on the December 1968 calendar of the Second Division of this court but was not called, apparently because a formal abandonment had been previously filed by counsel for the plaintiff. Pursuant thereto a decision and judgment dismissing the protest was entered on January 24, 1968.

Plaintiff claims that the abandonment was prepared by mistake at a time when certain appeals for reappraisement were being abandoned, but not protests. Plaintiff’s attorneys claim further that they never received a copy of the decision and judgment of dismissal; that it was never forwarded by the clerk of the court, and .that they had no knowledge of it until October 4, 1968. Thereafter, on November 7, 1968, a motion was made for an order setting aside the dismissal and restoring the case to the calendar. The case is presently before us pursuant to the order issued in consequence of that motion.

The Government argues here, as it did when the motion was made, that this court has no jurisdiction to set aside the judgment, on the [4]*4ground that a valid judgment was entered in the manner provided by statute and the rules of this court, with no motion for rehearing or appeal having been filed within the time provided by statute. 28 U.S.C. 2601 and 2640 and Rule 6(a) of the rules of this court then in effect.1

The court has held on a number of occasions that it is without jurisdiction to set aside a judgment of dismissal and grant a rehearing after the 30-day period provided for in 28 U.S.C. 2640 and Rule 6(a) has expired. United States v. Williams, Clarke Company, 52 Cust. Ct. 639, A.R.D. 173 (1964), and cases cited.

Plaintiff claims, however, that the judgment herein was void ah initio because of failure to comply with Rule 23 (b), which provided that a copy of a judgment order should be forwarded to the parties or their attorneys, citing Borneo-Sumatra Trading Company, Inc. v. United States, 49 Cust. Ct. 510, A.R.D. 150 (1962), and Imbert Imports, Inc. v. United States, 58 Cust. Ct. 848, A.R.D. 224 (1967).

In the Borneo-Sumatra case, it appeared that no notice of hearing had been mailed to plaintiff’s attorneys. It was therefore held that plaintiff had been denied his day in court and that the court had had no power to render a valid judgment. The court held further that, like all courts of record, it had inherent power to set aside and cancel a void judgment and that a motion to vacate such a judgment might be made within a reasonable time.

The Imbert case involved a judgment of dismissal entered at a time when plaintiff’s attorney had been disbarred from practicing before this court. A copy of the judgment was, however, sent to him and not to plaintiff. Plaintiff became aware of the dismissal some months later and then filed a motion to vacate and set aside the judgment. The court held that the copy sent to the disbarred attorney was in effect no notice at all since he had no standing in court and that plaintiff had been precluded from exercising its substantive right of appeal. Finding that plaintiff had acted with due diligence as soon as it learned of the default judgment, the court vacated and set aside the judgment of dismissal and remanded the case to a single judge for trial on the merits.

The reason for and the effect of a requirement of a notice of entry of judgment in a court rule was well stated in Hill v. Hawes, 320 U.S. 520, 64 S. Ct. 334, 88 L. Ed. 283 (1944), reh. denied 321 U.S. 801, 64 S. Ct. 515, 88 L. Ed. 1088 (1944), which involved Rule 77(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, providing that immediately upon entry of judgment the clerk shall send a notice of entry to the [5]*5parties affected. In tbe case before tbe court no notice bad been sent and, after tbe time for appeal bad expired, tbe trial judge vacated tbe judgment and bad a second judgment entered. A notice of appeal was filed thereafter. Tbe Supreme Court reversed a judgment of tbe Court of Appeals for tbe District of Columbia dismissing the appeal, stating (pp. 523-524) :

It is true that Rule 17 (d) does not purport to attach any consequence to the failure of the clerk to give tbe prescribed notice; but we can think of no reason for requiring the notice if counsel in tbe cause are not entitled to rely upon the requirement that it be given. It may well be that tbe effect to be given to the rule is that, although tbe judgment is final for other purposes, it does not become final for tbe purpose of starting tbe running of tbe period for appeal until notice is sent in accordance with tbe rule. * * * we think it was competent for tbe trial judge, in tbe view that tbe petitioner relied upon tbe provisions of Rule 77 (d) with respect to notice, and in tbe exercise of sound discretion, to vacate the former judgment and to enter a new judgment of which notice was sent in compliance with the rules. * * *

See also Commercial Credit Corporation v. United States, 175 F.2d 905 (1949), where it was held an abuse of discretion to deny a motion to vacate and reenter a judgment where no notice bad been given. The court said (p. 907) :

Tbe notice required by this rule [77(d)] was not given and neither plaintiff nor bis counsel knew of the entry of the findings, conclusions or forfeiture judgment until after the time for appeal bad expired. Claimant had a statutory right to appeal but an appeal could, of course, not be perfected until judgment bad been entered. Counsel were, we think, warranted in assuming that tbe clerk would perform his duty and serve notice of entry of judgment or order in this case as provided by Rule 77(d). In this view of tbe situation claimant was deprived of its statutory right of appeal without any fault or neglect on tbe part of itself or its counsel. This rule bad tbe force and effect of law. Courts favor the right of appeal where appeal is allowed by statute.

While Rule 77 (d) has since been amended to provide that lack of notice does not affect the time to appeal or authorize the court to relieve a party for failure to appeal within the time allowed, no such amendment has been made to the rules of this court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 Cust. Ct. 3, 1971 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/intra-mar-shipping-corp-v-united-states-cusc-1971.