James C. Goff Co. v. United States

64 Cust. Ct. 798, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3214
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJanuary 27, 1970
DocketA.R.D. 267; Entry Nos. 497; F82
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 64 Cust. Ct. 798 (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, 64 Cust. Ct. 798, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3214 (cusc 1970).

Opinion

PeR CuRiam :

This application for review involves the assessment of special dumping duties under the Antidumping Act of 1921, as amended, on gray portland cement exported from Sweden during 1959. The background is this: In April 1961, the United States Tariff Commission notified the Acting Secretary of the Treasury that an industry in the United States was being, or was likely to be, injured by reason of the importation of gray portland cement from Sweden. Later that month, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, pursuant to section 201 (a) of the Antidumping Act, as amended, made public the finding of dumping.

For purposes of fixing the special dumping duties provided for in section 202 of the Antidumping Act, the government appraisers determined the purchase prices and the foreign market values of the merchandise, as required by sections 203 and 205, respectively, of that act. Appellants (plaintiffs below) did not dispute the appraisers’ determination of purchase prices under section 203 but contended that they should have determined lower foreign values under section 205 by deducting certain allowances specified in section 202(b) and that their ascertainment of special dumping duties was therefore erroneous. The trial judge (Judge Wilson) held that appellants had not overcome the statutory presumption of correctness attendant upon the appraisers’ determination and hence affirmed the appraised foreign market values. James C. Goff Company et al. v. United States, 61 Cust. Ct. 506, R.D. 11581 (1968). Appellants insist here that this decision [799]*799is in error.1 We do not agree. Rather we are in agreement with the decision and therefore affirm. Judgment will be entered accordingly.

Since Judge Wilson’s opinion, findings and conclusions fully express our views, we deem it appropriate to adopt the same as the basis for our judgment in this case. They are as follows:

Wilson, Judge: The above two appeals were not by formal order specifically consolidated for purposes of trial. However, 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 Rapid Hardening Cement conforming to type III ASTM C-150-55. This cement was manufactured by Gullhogens Cement (Stockholm) AB, at its plant in Skovde, Sweden. Both types of cement were imported in each appeal.

The cement in R62/3673 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 Wingárdh & 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 Darticular case. [R. 2.]

[800]*800In 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 in Section 202(b) for the purpose of comparison with purchase price and ascertainment of special dumping duty under Section202(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 U.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 [801]*801value (or that the fact that the purchase price is the same as the foreign market value) is wholly or partly due to—

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

Related

James C. Goff Co. v. United States
441 F.2d 671 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 Cust. Ct. 798, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-c-goff-co-v-united-states-cusc-1970.