James C. Goff Co. v. United States

61 Cust. Ct. 506, 290 F. Supp. 769, 1968 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2206
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 19, 1968
DocketR.D. 11581; Entry Nos. 497; F82
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 61 Cust. Ct. 506 (James C. Goff Co. 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
James C. Goff Co. v. United States, 61 Cust. Ct. 506, 290 F. Supp. 769, 1968 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2206 (cusc 1968).

Opinion

Wilson, Judge:

The above two appeals were not by formal order specifically consolidated for purposes of trial. Plowever, counsel tried and briefed the appeals as though consolidated, and the court will dispose of the appeals on that basis.

The imported merchandise consists of so-called Gullhogens Standard Portland Cement conforming to type I ASTM C-150-55, and Gullhogens Eapid Hardening Cement conforming to type III ASTM C-150-55. This cement was manufactured by Gullhogens Cement [507]*507(Stockholm), AB, at its plant in Skovde, Sweden. Both types of cement were imported in each appeal.

The cement in £62/3678 was exported by Gullhogens on September 4, 1959, and was entered at Providence, R.I., for the account of James C. Goff Company. The cement in R63/4270 was exported on May 22, 1959, by Wingardh & Co., which firm, according to exhibit A, occupies the same local address as Gullhogens and is closely related thereto, but is a separate legal entity. It purchases the merchandise outright from Gullhogens and resells at a profit. This merchandise was entered at Fall River, Mass.

The appraisers at both ports of entry appraised the cement under section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956,91 Treas. Dec. 295, T.D. 54165. Such values are not contested and will be affirmed.

The appraisers also reported the foreign market values on the respective dates of purchase as well as the unit purchase prices under the Antidumping Act of 1921 (hereinafter ADA), sections 205 and 203 (19 U.S.C.A., sections 160, etc.), as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1954, 89 Treas. Dec. 242, T.D. 53599, which resulted in special dumping duties being imposed under section 202(a) of the antidumping act.

Plaintiffs’ counsel defines the issue herein as follows:

* * * we concede that the legal requirements of the statute were met with regard to the investigation itself.

Our claim here is that a lower foreign market value should have been found by the Appraiser. We have no other objection in this particular case. [R.2.]

In plaintiffs’ brief, page 1, counsel concedes that the appraisers’ determination of purchase price under section 203 is not challenged, and that—

* * * The sole issue presented by these appeals is the proper foreign market value, as defined in Section 205, and adjusted as specified m Section 202 (b) for the purpose of comparison with purchase price and ascertainment of special dumping duty under Section 202(a). * * *

The defendant contends that plaintiffs have failed to overcome the presumption of correctness attaching to the foreign market values returned by the appraisers; that plaintiffs’ claims are not supported by substantial competent evidence; and that plaintiffs have failed to establish the validity of the “adjustment” they claim should be allowed in determining the foreign market values.

Because of plaintiffs’ concession that the legal requirements of the statute relating to dumping were met, and there is no evidence of record to the contrary, the court holds that the investigation by the [508]*508U.S. Tariff Commission shows, and the determination of the Secretary of the Treasury establishes, that a class or kind of foreign merchandise, to wit, cement from Sweden, is being, or is likely to be sold in the United States or elsewhere at less than its fair value. The finding of dumping is therefore correct pursuant to section 201 (a) (c), ADA, as amended (19 U.S.C.A., section 160'(a) (c)).

Statutes Involved

Special DumpiNG Duty

Section 202 [19 U.S.C.A., section 161] :

Amount of duty to be collected; determination of foreign market value of goods

(a) In the case of all imported merchandise, whether dutiable or free of duty, of a class or kind as to which the Secretary of the Treasury has made public a finding as provided for in section 160 of this title, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, not more than one hundred and twenty days before the question of dumping was raised by or presented to the Secretary or any person to whom authority under said section has been delegated, and as to which no appraisement report has been made before such finding has been so made public, if the purchase price or the exporter’s sales price is less than the foreign market value (or, in the absence of such value, than the constructed value) there shall be levied, collected, and paid, in addition to any other duties imposed thereon by law, a special dumping duty in an amount equal to such difference.

(b) In determining the foreign market value for the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, if it is established to the satisfaction of the Secretary or his delegate that the amount of any difference between the purchase price and the foreign market value (or that the fact that the purchase price is the same as the foreign market value) is wholly or partly due to—

(1) the fact that the wholesale quantities, in which such or similar merchandise is sold or, in the absence of sales, offered for sale for exportation to the United States in the ordinary course of trade, are less or are greater than the wholesale quantities in which such or similar merchandise is sold or, in the absence of sales, offered for sale in the principal markets of the country of exportation in the ordinary course of trade for home consumption (or, if not so sold or offered for sale for home consmnption, then for exportation to countries other than the United States),
(2) other differences in circumstances of sale, or
(3) the fact that merchandise described in subdivision (C), (D), (E), or (F) of section 170a(3) of this title is used in determining foreign market value,

then due allowance shall be made therefor.

(c) In determining the foreign market value for the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, if it is established to the satisfaction of [509]*509the Secretary or his delegate that the amount of any difference between the exporter’s sales price and the foreign market value (or that the fact that the exporter’s sales price is the same as the foreign market value) is wholly or partly due to—

(1) the fact that the wholesale quantities in which such or similar merchandise is sold or, in the absence of sales, offered for sale in the principal markets of the United States in the ordinary course of trade, are less or are greater than the wholesale quantities in which such or similar merchandise is sold or, in the absence of sales, offered for sale in the principal markets of the country of exportation in the ordinary course of trade for home consumption (or, if not so sold or offered for sale for home consumption, then for exportation to countries other than the United States),
(2) other differences in circumstances of sale, or
(3) the fact that merchandise described in subdivision (C), (D), (E), or (F) of section I70a(3) of this title is used in determining foreign market value,

FoebigN Market Value

Section 205 [19 U.S.O.A., section 164] :

Determination of foreign market value

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Related

James C. Goff Co. v. United States
64 Cust. Ct. 798 (U.S. Customs Court, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 Cust. Ct. 506, 290 F. Supp. 769, 1968 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2206, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-c-goff-co-v-united-states-cusc-1968.