Skf USA Inc. v. United States

491 F. Supp. 2d 1354, 31 Ct. Int'l Trade 951, 31 C.I.T. 951, 29 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 1948, 2007 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 93
United States Court of International Trade·Decided May 29, 2007·No. Slip Op. 07-86; Couet 05-00569·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

OPINION

WALLACH, Judge.

I

Introduction

Plaintiffs SKF USA Inc., SKF France S.A., SKF Aerospace France, SKF GmbH, and SKF Industrie S.p.A. (collectively “SKF”) challenge the United States Department of Commerce’s (“Commerce” or “the Department”) findings in Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof From France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom: Final Results of Anti-dumping Duty Administrative Reviews, 70 Fed.Reg. 54,711 (September 16, 2005) {“Final Results ”). The court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c).

II

Background

On September 15, 2005, the Department published in the Federal Register the Final Results of its Fifteenth Review of ball bearings and parts thereof from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the *1357 United Kingdom, covering the period of review (“POR”) from May 1, 2003 through April 30, 2004. Final Results, 70 Fed. Reg. at 54,711. The review covers ball bearings (other than tapered roller bearings) and parts thereof, specifically anti-friction balls, ball bearings with integral shafts, ball bearings (including radial ball bearings) and parts thereof, and housed or mounted ball bearings united and parts thereof. 1 Id. at 54,712. In the Final Results, Commerce found a 8.41% weighted-average dumping margin for SKF France S.A., 16.06% for SKF GmbH, and 2.59% for SKF Industrie S.p.A. Id. at 54,713. SKF does not contest the antidumping margins for bearings affected by the Final Results from the United Kingdom.

Oral argument was held on January 24, 2007.

Ill

Standard of Review

This court will sustain Commerce’s determinations, findings, or conclusions unless they are “unsupported by substantial evidence on the record, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(1)(B); Magnesium Corp. of Am. v. United States, 166 F.3d 1364, 1368 (Fed.Cir.1999). Substantial evidence is “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, 71 S.Ct. 456, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951) (citing Consol. Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229, 59 S.Ct. 206, 83 L.Ed. 126 (1938)). Courts have considered substantial evidence to be something less than the weight of the evidence; the possibility of drawing two inconsistent conclusions from the presented evidence does not necessarily prevent an administrative agency’s finding from being supported by substantial evidence. Consolo v. Fed. Mar. Comm’n, 383 U.S. 607, 619-20, 86 S.Ct. 1018, 16 L.Ed.2d 131 (1966) (citing Labor Board v. Nevada Consol. Copper Corp., 316 U.S. 105, 106, 62 S.Ct. 960, 86 L.Ed. 1305 (1942); Keele Hair & Scalp Specialists, Inc. v. Fed. Trade Comm’n, 275 F.2d 18, 21 (5th Cir.1960)).

The court must use a two-step analysis when evaluating Commerce’s statutory interpretation. Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842-43, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984). The court examines, first, whether “Congress has directly spoken to the precise question at issue,” in which case courts, “must give effect to the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress.” Id.; see also Household Credit Servs. v. Pfennig, 541 U.S. 232, 239, 124 S.Ct. 1741, 158 L.Ed.2d 450 (2004). Whenever Congress has “explicitly left a gap for the agency to fill,” the agency’s regulation is “given controlling weight unless [it is] arbitrary, capricious, or manifestly contrary to the statute.” Chevron, 467 U.S. at 843-4, 104 S.Ct. 2778.

When faced with a problem of statutory construction, this Court shows great deference to the interpretation given the statute by the officers or agency *1358 charged with its administration. ‘To sustain the [agency’s] application of this statutory term, we need not find that its construction is the only reasonable one, or even that it is the result we would have reached had the question arisen in the first instance in judicial proceedings.’

Udall v. Tallman, 380 U.S. 1, 16, 85 S.Ct. 792, 13 L.Ed.2d 616 (1965) (quoting Unemployment Comp. Comm’n v. Aragon, 329 U.S. 143, 153, 67 S.Ct. 245, 91 L.Ed. 136 (1946)).

IV

Discussion

A

Commerce’s Decision to Revise Its Model-Matching Methodology is Supported by Substantial Evidence and is in Accordance with Law

Plaintiffs argue that Commerce’s departure from its previous methodology contravenes its long-standing policy to “ ‘maintain a stable, normal, and predictable approach’ with regards to model match, and not to alter that methodology unless compelling reasons exist.” Plaintiffs’ Rule 56.2 Motion for Judgment Upon the Agency Record (“Plaintiffs’ Motion”) at 10 (citing Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip from the Republic of Korea; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews and Notice of Revocation in Part, 61 Fed.Reg. 35,177, 35,181 (July 5, 1996) (“Polyethylene”)). Plaintiffs contend that Commerce’s decision to change the model match methodology retroactively unfairly deprived Plaintiffs of outcome predictability and that Commerce’s justification for changing the methodology departs from its own criteria that sets out when it is appropriate to change a model match methodology. Id. 2

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Skf USA Inc. v. United States, 491 F. Supp. 2d 1354, 31 Ct. Int'l Trade 951, 31 C.I.T. 951, 29 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 1948, 2007 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 93 (cit 2007).

491 F. Supp. 2d 1354 (Skf USA Inc. v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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