United States v. Aerodex, Inc.

327 F. Supp. 1027, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9671
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 30, 1970
DocketCiv. No. 68-1165
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 327 F. Supp. 1027 (United States v. Aerodex, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Aerodex, Inc., 327 F. Supp. 1027, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9671 (S.D. Fla. 1970).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

CABOT, District Judge.

Final hearing in this cause was held before the court without a jury for eight trial days beginning on February 16, 1970.

During the trial the court reserved ruling on the admissibility of certain exhibits and on certain motions and directed the parties to submit memorandum briefs thereon. The court has considered the briefs and is otherwise advised in the premises, and it is ordered that:

1. Defendants’ Exhibit 19 for identification, defendants’ Exhibits 26A-F for identification, and the Government’s Exhibit 119 for identification are received in evidence.

2. Government’s post-trial motion that its Exhibit 97 for identification, which the court earlier ruled was not admissible, be received in evidence, is denied, since it was not included on the pretrial stipulation entered into between the parties.

3. The court takes notice of Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 4, and Chapter 13 of Secretary of the Navy Instructions concerning “Disposal of Navy and Marine Corps Records.”

4. The defendants’ separate motions to dismiss made at the close of the Government’s case in chief and at the close of all the evidence are denied.

The court has considered the testimony, exhibits, and counsel’s extensive post-trial written submissions, and makes the following

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. This is a civil action brought by the United States of America under the provisions of Sections 3490 and 5438, Revised Statutes, Title 31 U.S.C. § 231, and 28 U.S.C. § 1345. Jurisdiction of [1029]*1029this court is conferred by Section 3491, Revised Statutes, Title 31 U.S.C. § 232, and 28 U.S.C. § 1345.

2. At all relevant times Aerodex, Inc., was a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware; Raymond M. Tonks was president and general manager, Frank J. Crawford was vice-president in charge of the commercial division, and Hermann Waker, Jr., was manager of the commercial division of Aerodex, Inc.

3. At such times none of the defendants was a person in the military or naval forces of the United States or in the militia called into or actually employed in the Service of the United States.

4. The Department of the Navy of the United States entered into a certain contract with defendant Aerodex, Inc., dated October 6, 1962, according to the terms of which defendant corporation was to supply certain parts for designated aircraft engines for a total price of $254,005.00. The contract provided in part for the furnishing by Aerodex, Inc., of 300 Wright Aeronautical Division Master Rod Bearings for the CurtissWright R1820 engines to be in accordance with Wright Aeronautical Division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation Part Number 171815 at a cost of $90.00 each, for a total of $27,000.00.

5. The contract provided that the bearings were to be identified by applicable Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Wright Aeronautical Division, part number, and must conform to the requirements of the respective drawing for said article, and that all bearings must be in new, unused condition.

6. The contract also provided for preliminary inspection of the bearings at the plant of Aerodex, Inc., in Miami, and for a “100% final inspection” by the Overhaul and Repair Shop of the consignee, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida.

7. Defendant Frank J. Crawford, on September 18, 1962, prepared and submitted a bid to the Navy Aviation Supply Office for 300 bearings Part Number (P/N) 171815 at $90.00 each, and on September 20, 1962, informed the Aviation Supply Office that the bearings were new and unused.

8. Defendants purchased 300 bearings P/N 117971 and 117971Y10, and caused each of them to be reworked by replacing the lead-tin overlay on the inside diameter. The bearing was then re-identified as P/N 171815.

9. In October, 1962, Aerodex, Inc., delivered the 300 master rod bearings in three shipments to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Each bearing bore the part number identification “171815,” and a stamped symbol “AOX,” designating Aerodex, Inc., as the source.

10. For each shipment, the defendant presented to the Department of the Navy an invoice claiming payment at the contract rate of $90.00 each for CurtissWright master rod bearing P/N 171815.

11. These three invoices, together with Forms DD-250 (Material Inspection and Receiving Report), were relied upon by the Department of the Navy in preparing vouchers which incorporated the invoices by reference. The vouchers, with the incorporated invoices and Forms DD-250, constituted claims against the United States for payment of money. The United States paid each claim in full.

12. P/N 117971 and P/N 171815 are nearly identical in appearance. The difference in metal composition of the steel back is not visually discernible, but can be ascertained by simple, non-destructive tests, one of which is the Rockwell hardness test. Since the Aerodex bearings were stamped with P/N 171815, appeared to be new and unused, and met the dimensional requirements, they were, after visual and dimensional inspection, installed in aircraft engines. The “100% final inspection” to be made at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, by the Navy as provided in the contract, was not made. Indeed, there was no clear showing as to the meaning of the term and one government witness stated that they were not equipped to do such [1030]*1030tests, which would be destructive of the bearings.

13. The 300 bearings delivered by Aerodex were actually P/N 117971 and P/N 117971Y10 and were not in accordance, with Wright Aeronautical Division, Curtiss-Wright specifications for P/N 171815 in two particulars: (1) the steel backing was made of low carbon steel, whereas P/N 171815 was constructed of heat treated high carbon steel with a specific hardness requirement fifty percent higher than P/N 117971; and (2) the tin in the lead-tin overlay on the inside diameter was substantially less than the Curtiss-Wright minimum specifications for P/N 171815.

14. Raymond M. Tonks was the president and chief executive officer of Aerodex, Inc., and was active in the daily conduct of the corporation’s business. He executed the pertinent Navy contract and approved the purchase of the 300 P/N 117971 bearings, which were furnished the Navy instead of the bearings specified by the contract.

15. On or about September 18, 1962, Frank J. Crawford sent a telegram to the Navy submitting a quotation to supply P/N 171815. At that time there was no more than one such part in Aerodex’s inventory. He then arranged for the purchase of 300 P/N 117971 bearings from James G. Boone, signed the purchase requisition therefor, and approved the work orders which provided for the rework and re-identification of P/N 117971 and 117971Y10 to P/N 171815 for shipment to the Navy. Crawford knew the invoice for each such shipment would and did designate the bearings furnished as P/N 171815.

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

Related

United States v. Cabrera-Diaz
106 F. Supp. 2d 234 (D. Puerto Rico, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
327 F. Supp. 1027, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-aerodex-inc-flsd-1970.