Silver Reed America, Inc. v. United States

679 F. Supp. 12, 12 Ct. Int'l Trade 39, 12 C.I.T. 39, 1988 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 13
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedJanuary 12, 1988
DocketCourt 83-10-01522
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 679 F. Supp. 12 (Silver Reed America, Inc. 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
Silver Reed America, Inc. v. United States, 679 F. Supp. 12, 12 Ct. Int'l Trade 39, 12 C.I.T. 39, 1988 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 13 (cit 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

NEWMAN, Senior Judge:

Introduction

Silver Reed America, Inc. (“Silver Reed”) and Silver Seiko, Ltd. (“Silver Seiko”) (collectively “Silver”) have moved in this consolidated action for judgment on the agency record pursuant to USCIT Rule 56.1 respecting Portable Electric Typewriters from Japan; Final Results of Administrative Review of Antidumping Order, 48 Fed.Reg. 40761 (September 9,1983). Silver contends that certain determinations made by the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (“Commerce” or “ITA”), in its Final Results of the first administrative review of the antidumping order on portable electric typewriters (“PETs”) from Japan are unsupported by substantial evidence on the record and are otherwise not in accordance with law. See 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(l)(B) (1982).

Specifically, Silver challenges the following determinations made by ITA in its administrative review:

(1) ITA’s deductions of imputed credit or interest expenses from Silver’s exporter’s sales prices (“ESP”);

(2) ITA’s deductions of imputed currency exchange rate losses from Silver’s ESP;

(3) ITA’s disallowance of Silver’s claim for an adjustment to foreign market value for differences in quantities of merchandise *14 produced for sale in the United States market and in Japan; and

(4) ITA’s disallowance of Silver’s claim for a level-of-trade adjustment to foreign market value.

Accordingly, Silver seeks reversal in part of the Final Results of the administrative review and remand to ITA for further proceedings. For the reasons set forth below, ITA’s Final Results are reversed in part, and this action is remanded for further proceedings and recalculation of the dumping margins for Silver’s PETs consistent with this opinion and order.

Background

On September 9,1983 Commerce published the Final Results of its administrative review under section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. § 1675, covering PETs exported from Japan by Brother Industries, Nakajima All Co., Ltd. and Silver Seiko for varying periods during 1980 and 1981. 48 Fed.Reg. 40761. In adjusting the prices in the two markets for comparison purposes, Commerce deducted from the Silver’s ESP various imputed selling expenses and exchange rate losses. Commerce also rejected Silver’s claims for adjustments: (1) predicated on differences in quantities of PETs produced for sale in the United States and in Japan; and (2) predicated upon sales at different levels of trade in the United States and in Japan. 48 Fed.Reg. 40763-4.

Issues Presented

1. Whether ITA properly deducted from Silver’s ESP imputed, rather than actual, presale inventory carrying costs or expenses related to selling Silver’s PETs in the United States;

2. Whether ITA properly deducted imputed currency exchange rate losses from ESP;

3. Whether ITA properly rejected Silver’s claim for a quantity discount adjustment in determining the foreign market value of Silver’s PETs;

4. Whether ITA properly rejected Silver’s claim for a level-of-trade adjustment in determining the foreign market value of Silver’s PETs.

Discussion

I

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has held that “the statute [Trade Agreements Act of 1979] reveals tremendous deference to the expertise of the Secretary of Commerce in administering the antidumping law.” Smith Corona Group v. United States, 713 F.2d 1568, 1571 (Fed.Cir.1983), cer t. denied, 465 U.S. 1022, 104 S.Ct. 1274, 79 L.Ed.2d 679 (1984). See also ICC Industries, Inc. v. United States, 812 F.2d 694, 699 (Fed.Cir.1987) (“[a]n agency’s interpretation of a statute which it is authorized to administer is ‘to be sustained unless unreasonable and plainly inconsistent with the statute, and [is] to be held valid unless weighty reasons require otherwise’ ” (quoting from Melamine Chemicals, Inc. v. United States, 732 F.2d 924, 928 (Fed.Cir.1984). Similarly, in ICC Industries, Inc., id. at 699, the court commented that “[a]n agency’s ‘interpretation of the statute need not be the only reasonable interpretation or the one which the court views as the most reasonable’ ” (quoting from Consumers Products Div., SCM Corp. v. Silver Reed America, Inc., 753 F.2d 1033, 1039 (Fed.Cir.1985) (emphasis in original)). This court has also stressed that “[t]he deference granted or extended to the agency’s interpretation of its statutory mandate also applies to the methodology that the agency employs in fulfilling its lawfully delegated mission.” Ceramica Regiomontana, S.A. v. United States, 636 F.Supp. 961, 965-966 (CIT 1986), aff'd, 810 F.2d 1137 (Fed.Cir.1987). In that regard, this court went on to say (Id. at 966):

In order for the ITA effectively to administer the countervailing duty laws, it is necessary to permit some methodological flexibility. As long as the agency’s methodology and procedures are reasonable means of effectuating the statutory purpose, and there is substantial evidence in the record supporting the agency’s conclusions, the court will not im *15 pose its own views as to the sufficiency of the agency’s investigation or question the agency’s methodology. See Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 467 U.S. 837, 843, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 2783, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984); Abbott v. Donovan, 6 CIT 92, 670 F.Supp. 41, 46-47 (1983).

Observing the foregoing principles concerning judicial review of agency action in antidumping cases as well as the statutory standard of review in such cases (see 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(l)(B) (1982)), this court concludes that, except for several matters discussed infra concerning which ITA has erred, ITA’s statutory interpretation and methodology employed in the Final Results challenged in this case are reasonable and in accordance with law, and its determinations are supported by substantial evidence in the administrative record.

II

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679 F. Supp. 12, 12 Ct. Int'l Trade 39, 12 C.I.T. 39, 1988 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/silver-reed-america-inc-v-united-states-cit-1988.