NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. v. United States

18 Ct. Int'l Trade 336
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedMay 2, 1994
DocketCourt No. 89-09-00535
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Ct. Int'l Trade 336 (NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. 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
NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. v. United States, 18 Ct. Int'l Trade 336 (cit 1994).

Opinion

Opinion

Musgrave, Judge:

In this action, plaintiffs NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. and NEC Home Electronics (USA), Inc. (collectively “NEC”) challenge the final results of the administrative review of antidumping findings announced by the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (“ITA” the “Department” or “Commerce”): Television Receivers, Monochrome and Color, from Japan; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Determination Not to Revoke in Part, 54 Fed. Reg. 35,517 (Aug. 28, 1989) (the “Final Results”). The Final Results cover several manufacturers and/or [337]*337exporters of the subject merchandise for various review period from April 1, 1980 through February 28, 1987. For NEC, the Final Results cover the fifth review period (April 1,1983throughMarch31,1984), the sixth review period (April 1, 1984 through February 28, 1985), the seventh review period (March 1,1985 through February 28,1986) and the eighth review period (March 1, 1986 through February 28, 1987). Commerce found dumping margins for NEC of 18.21% for the fifth review period, 7.37% for the sixth review period, 7.16% for the seventh review period and 22.9% for the eighth review period. Plaintiffs have moved for judgment upon the agency record with regard to four basic issues: 1) use of sales to unrelated purchasers rather than to related distributors without a level of trade adjustment; 2) use of sales in all markets in Japan rather than in alleged “principal markets”; 3) treatment of advertising and sales promotion expenses; and 4) failure to make adjustment for home market warranty labor expenses paid to related parties.

Background1

During the fifth through eighth review periods, all of NEC’s Japan home market television sales occurred at the ex-factory level to NEC-affiliated sales companies (“NECSCs”). NEC Fifth-Seventh Periods Questionnaire Responses, Annex A-2 (Conf. A.R. 38 at 35A; Conf. A.R. 38 at 175A; Conf. A.R. 38 at 319A); Eighth Period Questionnaire Response, Annex A-2 (Conf. A.R. 72 at 227A). The NECSCs thereafter resold the products at the wholesale level to unrelated parties. NEC Fifth-Seventh Periods Questionnaire Responses (May 18, 1987) at C3 (A.R. 103 at 2164; A.R. 104 at 2309; A.R. 105 at 6-7); Eighth Period Questionnaire Response (Dec. 7, 1987) at 2 (A.R. 178 at 811). In the United States, all of the NEC’s purchase price transactions were large volume ex-factory sales to a small number of unaffiliated equipment manufacturers.Id. at6(A.R. 103at2167;A.R. 104at2312;A.R. 105at9; A.R. 178 at 814).

Standard of Review

In reviewing injury, antidumping, and countervailing duty investigations and determinations, this Court must hold unlawful any determination unsupported by substantial evidence on the record or otherwise not in accordance with law. 19U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(l)(B) (1982). Substantial evidence “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. Labor Board, 305 U.S. 197, 229 (1938)). Moreover, the Court may not substitute its judgment for that of the agency when the choice is between two fairly conflicting views, even though the Court would justifiably have made a different choice had the matter been [338]*338before it de novo. See American Spring Wire Corp. v. United States, 8 CIT 20, 22, 590 F. Supp. 1273, 1276 (1984) (citing Universal Camera, 340 U.S. at 388), aff’d sub nom., Armco, Inc. v. United States, 3 Fed. Cir. (T) 123, 760 F.2d 249 (1985).

Substantial evidence supporting an agency determination must be based on the whole record. See Universal Camera Corp., 340 U.S. 474, 488 (1951). The “whole record” means that the Court must consider both sides of the record. It is not sufficient to examine merely the evidence that sustains the agency’s conclusion. Id. In other words, it is not enough that the evidence supporting the agency decision is “substantial” when considered by itself. The substantiality of evidence must take into account whatever in the record fairly detracts from its weight. Universal Camera Corp., 340 U.S. at 478, 488.

Discussion

1. Commerce’s Calculation of Foreign Market Value for NEC:

A. Commerce’s rejection of NEC’s related party sales in Japan:

The first issue before the Court is whether Commerce erred in refusing to compare foreign market value (“FMV”) and United States price (“USP”) at the ex-factory level of trade, on the ground that NEC provided no data showing that the transactions were at arm’s length. In calculating the dumping margin, Commerce compared the NECSCs’ home market wholesale prices2 with NEC’s United States ex-factory prices.3 The regulation in effect during the underlying proceeding, 19 C.F.R. § 353.22(b) (1988), provided in relevant part that:

(b) Sales to related persons. If such or similar merchandise is sold * * * in the home market * * * to a person related to the seller of the merchandise * * *, the price at which such or similar merchandise is sold * * * to such person ordinarily will not be used in the determination of foreign market value unless such sales are demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary to be at prices comparable to those at which such or similar merchandise is sold to persons unrelated to the seller.

The regulation authorized Commerce to use the prices at which the merchandise is sold to a related party only if the sales were demonstrated to Commerce’s satisfaction to be at prices comparable to those at which the merchandise is sold to unrelated persons. In accord with 19 C.F.R. § 353.22(b), Commerce’s normal practice is to disregard the manufacturer’s prices to its related distributors or dealers in calculating FMV unless the manufacturer has substantiated to Commerce’s satisfaction that the prices are at arm’s length. See, e.g., Sodium Acetate from Chile; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 53 Fed. Reg. 15,258,15,259 (Apr. 28,1988). Hence, the burden is placed upon the respondent to demonstrate that prices to related parties are at [339]*339arm’s length. See Creswell Trading Company, Inc. v. United States, Nos. 93-1062,-1063,-1064,-1065,-1066 at 10 et seq. (Fed. Cir. Feb. 2, 1994); Zenith Electronics Corporation v. United States,_Fed. Cir. (T)_, _, 988 F.2d 1573, 1583 (1993).

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Bluebook (online)
18 Ct. Int'l Trade 336, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nec-home-electronics-ltd-v-united-states-cit-1994.