Ringling Bros. v. United States

31 C.C.P.A. 191, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 8
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMarch 6, 1944
DocketNo. 4458
StatusPublished

This text of 31 C.C.P.A. 191 (Ringling Bros. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ringling Bros. v. United States, 31 C.C.P.A. 191, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 8 (ccpa 1944).

Opinion

Leneoot, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the United States Customs Court, Third Division, denying appellant’s petition for remission of [192]*192additional duties assessed pursuant to the provisions of section 489 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The additional duties were levied by reason of the undervaluation of a certain gorilla imported by appellant from Havana, Cuba, and entered at the port of Port Everglades, Fla., on February 19,1941.

The entered value of the gorilla was $1,000, and its final appraised value was $8,750. The additional duties assessed amount to $6,562.50.

Section 489, supra, insofar as it is here pertinent, reads as follows:

SEC. 489. ADDITIONAL DUTIES.
. If the final appraised value of any article of imported merchandise which is subject to an ad valorem rate of duty or to a duty based upon or regulated in any manner by the value thereof shall exceed the entered value, there shall be levied, collected, and paid, in addition to the duties imposed by law on such merchandise, an additional duty of 1 per centum of the total final appraised value thereof for •each 1 per centum that such final appraised value exceeds the value declared in the •entry. Such additional duty shall apply only to the particular article or articles in each invoice that are so advanced in value upon final appraisement and shall not be imposed upon any article upon which the amount of duty imposed by law on account of the final appraised value does not exceed the amount of duty that would be imposed if the final appraised value did not exceed the entered value, and shall be limited to 75 per centum of the final appraised value of such' article or articles. Such additional duties shall not be construed to be penal and shall not be remitted nor payment thereof in any way avoided, except in the case of a clerical error, upon the order of the Secretary of the Treasury, or in any case upon the finding of the United States Customs Court, upon a petition filed at any time after final appraisement and before the expiration of sixty days after liquidation and supported by satisfactory evidence under such rules as the court may prescribe, that the entry of the merchandise at a less value than that returned upon final appraisement was without any intention to defraud the revenue of the United States or to conceal or misrepresent the facts of the case or to deeéive the appraiser as to the value of the merchandise. If the appraised value of any merchandise exceeds the value declared in the entry by more than 100 per centum, such entry shall be presumptively fraudulent, and the collector shall geize the whole case or package containing such merchandise and proceed as in case of forfeiture for violation of the customs laws; and in any legal proceeding other than a criminal prosecution that may result from such seizure, the undervaluation as shown by the appraisal shall be presumptive evidence of fraud, and the burden of proof shall be on the claimant to rebut the same, and forfeiture shall be adjudged unless he rebuts such presumption of fraud by sufficient evidence.
Upon the making of such order or finding, the additional duties shall be remitted or refunded, wholly or in part, and the entry shall be liquidated or reliquidated accordingly. Such additional duties shall not be refunded in case of exportation of the merchandise, nor shall they be subject to the benefit of drawback. All additional duties, penalties, or forfeitures applicable to merchandise entered in connection with a certified invoice shall be alike applicable to merchandise entered in connection with a seller’s or shipper’s invoice or statement in the form of an invoice.

It appears from the record that on February 19, 1941, appellant through its agent, one J. C. Donahue, filed a consumption entry [193]*193covering “One Female Gorilla. Named ‘Toto,'” valued.- at $1,000, entered under paragraph. 715 of said tariff act at the rate of 15 per centum ad valorem. Concurrently with the filing of this entry, said agent also filed a consular invoice covering said gorilla in which it was stated that its value was $1,000 “GIF Sarasota, Fla.”

It appears that the gorilla was purchased by appellant in Havana, Cuba, from one Mrs. E. Kenneth Hoyt, and the sum of $8,750 was paid therefor. Mr. John Bingling North, president of appellant, made the purchase. It further appears that at the time of said purchase appellant was the owner of a male gorilla named Gargantua.”

Donahue was the principal witness in behalf of appellant and testified in substance as follows: That he was the railroad traffic manager of appellant’s circus, having in charge all of the railroad movements in its operation; that in February 1941, by direction of John Ringling North, he was placed in charge of the transportation of said gorilla from Cuba to the United States and of all proceedings incident thereto; that he proceeded to Port Everglades, the point at which importation was to be made, and first interviewed one Charles P. Hogeboom, Deputy Collector in Charge of Customs at that point, and that said Hogeboom suggested to him that the gorilla might possibly be entitled, to free entry as being imported for breeding-purposes; that this was the first time that this possibility had been brought to his attention; that Hogeboom promised to take the matter up with the customs office at Tampa, and believed he would have the necessary information when the witness returned from Cuba. At this point we would observe that the record does not disclose that the witness told Hogeboom for what purpose the gorilla was to be imported, or that appellant had in its circus a male gorilla.

The witness further testified that at Port Everglades he employed a customs broker, dne James S. Moore, to represent appellant in customs matters incident to the importation of the gorilla; that one of these matters involved the export of a very expensive cage in which the gorilla was to be imported; that he told Mr. Moore that he knew nothing of customs, that he put himself in his hands for the importation of the animal; and that he discussed with Moore the matter of the gorilla being admitted free for breeding purposes.

The witness further testified that he proceeded to Havana, Cuba, and consulted with Mr. William S. Loudermilk of the Florida East Coast Car Ferry Co., which company was to transport the gorilla to the United States, and at the suggestion of Loudermilk one F. A. Nistal, a customs broker, was engaged to represent appellant in customs matters incident to the exportation of the gorilla; that said Nistal came to Mr. Loudermilk’s office and there, in the presence of Loudermilk, he (Donahue) requested Nistal to make out,all the neces[194]*194sary papers and attend to everything pertaining to the exportation of the animal.

The witness further testified as follows:

Q. * * *. Wh.at did you tell Mr. Nistal and Mr. Loudermilk concerning the entry of the gorilla into the United States? — A. I told him I thought the animal would be admitted free of duty because we were to breed the animal. It was my understanding that the animal was to be bred.

Upon cross-examination the witness testified as follows:

X Q. Didn’t he (Nistal) ask you what the value of the animal is? — A. He did, and I couldn’t tell.
X Q. But you told him you couldn’t tell him exactly, didn’t you? — A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 C.C.P.A. 191, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ringling-bros-v-united-states-ccpa-1944.