Rheem Metalurgica S.A. v. United States

21 Ct. Int'l Trade 963, 978 F. Supp. 333, 21 C.I.T. 963, 19 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2070, 1997 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 124
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedAugust 22, 1997
DocketCourt No. 92-06-00380
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 21 Ct. Int'l Trade 963 (Rheem Metalurgica S.A. 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
Rheem Metalurgica S.A. v. United States, 21 Ct. Int'l Trade 963, 978 F. Supp. 333, 21 C.I.T. 963, 19 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2070, 1997 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 124 (cit 1997).

Opinion

[964]*964Opinion

Cabman, Chief Judge:

Defendant moves this Court pursuant to U.S. CIT R. 59(e) and 60(a) and (b) to amend the Judgment Order issued in Rheem Metalurgica S/A, formerly Rheem Empreendimentos Industriais E Commerciais S.A. v. United States, 951 F. Supp. 241 (CIT 1996) (“Rheem”) to include interest, pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1505(c) (1988), from a date beginning fifteen days after each of the nine entries at issue was deemed liquidated by operation of law until the date plaintiff is notified of the amount of duties, if any, that are due. Alternatively, defendant moves this Court to exercise its equitable powers to amend the Judgment Order to include prejudgment interest from October 29,1993, the date the defendant filed its counterclaim in this matter.

Plaintiff opposes defendant’s motion, and moves this Court to withdraw the Judgment Order entered in Rheem. In the alternative, plaintiff argues 19 U.S.C. § 1677g (1988) is the statutory provision this Court should examine in determining whether the defendant is entitled to receive interest in connection with this Court’s Judgment Order.

Discussion

Initially, the Court notes it has jurisdiction to decide the government’s motion, which was filed on January 17, 1997, despite the fact plaintiff has filed an appeal on this matter with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. See Rheem Metalurgica S/A, formerly Rheem Empreendimentos Industriais E Commerciais S.A. v. United States, 951 F. Supp. 241 (CIT 1996), appeal docketed, No. 97-1256 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 6, 1997). Fed.R.App.E 4(a) provides

(4) If any party files a timely motion of a type specified immediately below, the time for appeal for all parties runs from the entry of the order disposing of the last such motion outstanding. This provision applies to a timely motion under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure:

(C) to alter or amend the judgment under Rule 59.

Fed.R.App.E 4(a). In construing Fed.R.App.E 4(a), the United States Supreme Court noted the filing of a motion under Fed.R.Civ.E 59 “render^] the underlying judgment nonfinal both when filed before an appeal is taken (thus tolling the time for taking an appeal), and when filed after the notice of appeal (thus divesting the appellate court of jurisdiction).” Stone v. I.N.S., 514 U.S. 386, 402-03, 115 S.Ct. 1537, 1548, 131 L.Ed.2d 465 (1995). See also Osterneck v. Ernst & Whinney, 489 U.S. 169, 177-79, 109 S.Ct. 987, 990-92, 103 L.Ed.2d 146 (1989) (timely motion for prejudgment interest under Rule 59(e) suspends finality of judgment and renders null any notice of appeal filed before its resolution); cf. Acosta v. Louisiana Dep’t of Health and Human Resources, 478 U.S. 251, 254, 106 S.Ct. 2876, 2878, 92 L.Ed.2d 192 (1986) (Fed.RApp.E 4(a) interpreted “as establishing the rule that a notice of appeal is ineffective [965]*965unless filed after entry of judgment on a Rule 59 motion or any of the other motions to which the subdivision applies”). Based on this authority, the Court determines it has jurisdiction to decide defendant’s motion made pursuant to U.S. CIT R. 59(e) to amend this Court’s Judgment Order to include interest.

In evaluating the alternative statutory provisions advanced by the parties, the Court concludes it would be inappropriate to amend the Judgment Order to include interest because neither the provision advanced by the government nor the provision advanced by plaintiff addresses the precise circumstances of the situation at issue in this matter. The statutory provision advanced by the defendant provides

(c) Duties due upon liquidation or reliquidation; delinquency; interest

Duties determined to be due upon liquidation or reliquidation shall be due 15 days after the date of that liquidation or reliquidation, and unless payment of the duties is received by the appropriate customs officer within 30 days after that date, shall be considered delinquent and bear interest from the 15th day after the date of liquidation or reliquidation at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.

19 U.S.C. § 1505(c) (1988).

In analyzing whether 19 U.S.C. § 1505(c) is applicable in this matter, the Court makes several observations. The plain language of 19 U.S.C. § 1505(c) entitles the government to interest if the goods at issue are liquidated or reliquidated and the assessed duties are not paid within thirty days of liquidation or reliquidation. That situation has not occurred with respect to either Customs’ liquidations of the nine entries at issue in 1989 or the liquidation of the nine entries by operation of law on the fourth anniversary of their entry into the United States.

First, as the Court noted in Rheem, the Customs Service liquidated the nine entries at issue in 1989. See Rheem, 951 F. Supp. at 244. Indeed, the parties do not dispute the entries in issue were liquidated by the Customs Service in 1989. (See Def.’s Resp. to Pl.’s Stmt, of Mater. Facts not in Dispute at 3 (stating the entries were “liquidated after the[ ] fourth anniversary [of their entry into the United States] ”).) Following the denial of its protest, plaintiff paid the duties assessed by the Customs Service and any interest due. This payment was required before the Court could exercise its jurisdiction in this matter over plaintiff’s challenge of Customs’ denial of its protest. See 28 U.S.C. § 2637(a) (1988) (“A civil action contesting the denial of a protest under section 515 of the Tariff Act of 1930 may be commenced in the Court of International Trade only if all liquidated duties, charges, or exactions have been paid at the time the action is commenced * * *.”). The parties do not dispute the plaintiff has paid those duties assessed and any interest due in connection with Customs’ liquidation of the entries at issue in 1989. See Compl. ¶ 4 (“Plaintiff has paid all liquidated duties in the manner and within the time required by law.”); Answer ¶ 4 (“Admits.”). Because plaintiff has paid [966]*966the duties assessed and any interest that was due following Customs’ 1989 liquidation of the entries at issue, the Court determines the defendant is not entitled to interest pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1505(c) in connection with Customs’ liquidation of the entries in 1989.

Additionally, 19 U.S.C.

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21 Ct. Int'l Trade 963, 978 F. Supp. 333, 21 C.I.T. 963, 19 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 2070, 1997 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rheem-metalurgica-sa-v-united-states-cit-1997.