Tapscott's H. A. Gogarty, Inc. v. United States

31 Cust. Ct. 103, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 915
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedOctober 29, 1953
DocketC. D. 1552
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 31 Cust. Ct. 103 (Tapscott's H. A. Gogarty, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tapscott's H. A. Gogarty, Inc. v. United States, 31 Cust. Ct. 103, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 915 (cusc 1953).

Opinion

EKwall, Judge:

This is a suit against the United States in which it is claimed that an allowance in duties should have been made under the provisions of section 506 (1) of the Tariff Act of 1930 for merchandise alleged to have been abandoned by the importer and destroyed. The Government contends that the plaintiffs have failed to comply with the provisions of that section, and the regulations issued thereunder, and are thus not entitled to any relief.

The pertinent provision of the Tariff Act of 1930 is as follows:

SEC. 506. ALLOWANCE FOR ABANDONMENT AND DAMAGE.
Allowance shall be made in the estimation and liquidation of duties under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury in the following eases:
(1) Abandonment Within Thirty Days. — Where the importer abandons [104]*104to the United States, within thirty days after entry in the case of merchandise not sent to the appraiser’s stores for examination, * * * any imported merchandise representing 5' per centum or more of the total value of all the merchandise of the same class or kind entered in the invoice in which the item appears, and delivers, within the applicable thirty-day period, the portion so abandoned to such place as the collector directs unless the collector is satisfied that the merchandise is so far destroyed as to be nondeliverable;
sfj # jf: * % # %

Tbe applicable portion of tbe Customs Regulations of 1943, issued pursuant to tbe authority given by tbe above section, is as follows:

15.3 Abandonment of merchandise under section 506 (1), Tariff Act of 1930.—
(a) A written notice of any abandonment under section 506 (1), Tariff Act of 1930, shall be filed with the collector of customs at the port where the entry is filed within 30 days after the date of entry or, in the case of examination packages, within 30 days after release, whether or not delivery is taken by the importer immediately after entry or release as the case may be.

At tbe trial, all of tbe papers transmitted to tbe court, with tbe exception of an affidavit, dated May 10, 1950, were received in evidence. It appears therefrom that tbe merchandise, consisting of 3 cartons and 17 crates of bamboo sticks, was entered at tbe port of New York on March 6, 1950, and was subsequently sent to tbe importer at Owensboro, Ky. A letter from tbe importer, dated April 4, 1950, addressed to “United States Customs, 201 Barwick Street, New York, New York” states:

Upon opening an [sfe] inspecting subject shipment it was learned that 17 crates of the above were received in a molded, mildewed, and worthless condition.
It is requested that we be permitted to destroy the contents of the 17 crates under the supervision of your representative and receive a refund on the duty paid on that portion of the shipment.

It was stipulated at tbe trial that this letter was mailed on April 4, 1950, and was received in tbe liquidating division of tbe collector’s office at tbe port of New York on April 7, 1950. There is no statement on tbe letter as to what action was taken by tbe collector, but in bis memorandum in reply to tbe protest it is indicated that be considered tbe importer’s application untimely and tbe proof of destruction subsequently furnished insufficient.

It is evident from tbe above that tbe written notice of abandonment was filed with tbe collector at tbe port of New York on April 7, 1950, which was more than 30 days after tbe date of entry. It is, therefore, untimely under section 15.3 (a) of tbe regulations, supra. Plaintiffs claim, however, that tbe regulation is unreasonable in requiring that tbe notice be filed with tbe collector at tbe port of entry within 30 days after entry, on tbe ground that an importer who resides at a distance from tbe port of entry has insufficient time to examine tbe merchandise and file tbe notice, as required. It is [105]*105contended that a reasonable interpretation of section 506 (1), supra, is that abandonment to the United States within 30 days of entry occurs when the importer has indicated his intent to abandon by mailing the notice within the prescribed time.

It is well settled that regulations issued by the Secretary of the Treasury under a specific provision of the tariff act are mandatory and compliance therewith is a condition precedent to the right accorded, provided that the regulations are reasonable and not in contravention of the statute. United States v. Morris European & American Express Co., 3 Ct. Cust. Appls. 146, T. D. 32386; United States v. R. H. Comey Brooklyn Co., 16 Ct. Cust. Appls. 248, T. D. 42843; United States v. Browne Vintners Co., Inc., 34 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 112, C. A. D. 351. Regulations issued under section 506 (1) of the Tariff Act of 1930 have been held mandatory. W. A. White Brokerage Co. v. United States, 65 Treas. Dec. 339, T. D. 46922; W. X. Huber Co. v. United States, 1 Cust. Ct. 289, C. D. 67; H. Schnell & Co. v. United States, 17 Cust. Ct. 20, C. D. 1014.

The question here relates solely to the reasonableness of the regulation requiring that notice be filed with the collector within 30 days after entry. The statute itself directs only that the importer abandon the merchandise to the United States within 30 days after entry. It is left to the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe the method of so doing.

Technically, an abandonment is the act of intentionally relinquishing a known right absolutely and without reference to any particular person or purpose. 1 American Jurisprudence 2; 1 C. J. S. 4; Ellis v. Brown, 177 F. 2d 677; Goltra v. United States, 96 F. Supp. 618, 625. Since the statute here involved provides for an abandonment to the United States, it contemplates, strictly speaking, a “surrender” rather than an “abandonment.” Goltra v. United States, supra; Hogan v. Gaskill, 42 N. J. Eq. 215, 6 A. 879; Justice v. Burgess, 244 Ky. 774, 52 S. W. 2d 720. Nevertheless, it is clear that two elements are involved: An intention to relinquish and an external act by which the intention is carried into effect.

That the intent to abandon be manifested in writing is clearly a reasonable requirement and was so held under similar provisions of a former statute (section 23, Tariff Act of 1890, as amended by the act of May 17, 1898). Wo Sing & Co. v. United States, 9 Treas. Dec. 723, T. D. 26308. It has also been held under prior statutes, permitting abandonment within 10 days after entry, that a notice filed subsequently is untimely. Wo Sing & Co. v. United States, supra; Cecil Vigdor v. United States, 56 Treas. Dec. 816, Abstract 9701.

See also John A. Conkey Co. v. United States, 58 Treas. Dec. 80, T. D. 44156, involving section 505 (2) of the Tariff Act of 1922, which [106]*106permitted an allowance for fruit or other perishable merchandise decayed or commercially valueless at the time of importation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Capital Rock Co. v. United States
48 Cust. Ct. 435 (U.S. Customs Court, 1962)
Premier Doll Accessories, Inc. v. United States
47 Cust. Ct. 340 (U.S. Customs Court, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 Cust. Ct. 103, 1953 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 915, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tapscotts-h-a-gogarty-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1953.