United States v. American Metal Co.

12 Ct. Cust. 440, 1925 WL 29519, 1925 CCPA LEXIS 2
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJanuary 3, 1925
DocketNo. 2442
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 12 Ct. Cust. 440 (United States v. American Metal Co.) 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
United States v. American Metal Co., 12 Ct. Cust. 440, 1925 WL 29519, 1925 CCPA LEXIS 2 (ccpa 1925).

Opinion

Graham, Presiding Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The importer filed a petition for remission of additional duties under section 489 of the tariff act of 1922. The Board of General Appraisers entered judgment sustaining the petition, and the Government appeals.

The appellee moves to dismiss the appeal on the ground that this court has no jurisdiction thereof. In Brown v. United States (12 Ct. Cust. Appls. 93, T. D. 40026) and in Fish v. United States (12 Ct. Cust. Appls. 307, T. D. 40315) we held otherwise. The matter is therefore stare decisis in this court, and the motion to dismiss is denied.

The appellant here argues that section 489 does not authorize any proceedings for the remission of additional duties where the appraised value of the merchandise imported exceeds the value declared in the entry by more than 100 per cent; that, in view of the direction of [442]*442the statute that in such cases the goods imported shall be seized and proceedings had against the same as in cases of forfeiture, the proceeding for forfeiture is mandatory and excludes any right of the importer to relief under the preceding portion of the section.

Provisions similar to section 489 have appeared in former tariff acts since and including the customs administrative act of June 10, 1890. Section 7 of the last-named statute provided, in part, as follows:

* * * and if the appraised value of any article of imported merchandise shall exceed by more than ten per centum the value declared in the entry, there shall be levied, collected, and paid, in addition to the duties imposed by law on such merchandise, a further sum equal to two per centum of the total appraised value for each one per centum that such appraised value exceeds the value declared in the entry; and the additional duties shall only apply to the particular article or articles in each invoice which are undervalued; and if such appraised value shall exceed the value declared in the entry more than forty per centum, such entry may be held to be presumptively fraudulent, and the collector, of customs may seize such merchandise and proceed as in cases of forfeiture for violations of the customs laws.

Section 32 of tbe act of July 24, 1897, amended tbe language above noted in some particulars, particularly by making an additional duty of 1 per cent of tbe total appraised value for each 1 per cent tbat sucb appraised value exceeded tbe entered value and by bmiting tbe total additional duty to 50 per cent of tbe appraised value of tbe importation, making a similar change in tbe forfeiture section. Tbe act of August 5, 1909, section 7 of section 28, limited tbe additional recovery to 75 per cent of tbe appraised value and made a similar change in tbe forfeiture section. Paragraph I of Section III, act of October 3, 1913, was substantially tbe same as tbe similar provision in tbe act of 1909. Section 489 of tbe tariff act of 1922 continues tbe general plan, first given expression in tbe act of 1890 above quoted, but changes tbe forfeiture clause by making it applicable only when the appraised value of the merchandise exceeds tbe entered value by more than 100 per cent.

In cases where tbe statutes heretofore cited have been discussed, it has been uniformly held that proceedings for forfeiture of the goods imported may be conducted in tbe courts concurrently or at different times, with tbe collection of tbe additional duties specified in sucb statutes for undervaluation by tbe collector, and a clear distinction has been recognized between tbe two remedies, provided. Prior to tbe act of July 24, 1897, tbe assessment of sucb additional duties was held to be punitive and penal.- — Helwig v. United States (188 U. S. 605). Tbat case distinguished section 7 of tbe act of June 10, 1890, abové cited, from tbe act of July 24, 1897, pointing out that in the latter act Congress bad plainly directed tbat tbe additional duty therein spoken of should not be construed as a penalty. Since tbe act of 1897 it has been uniformly held tbat tbe additional duties [443]*443due on account of undervaluation are to be treated and collected as other duties and that the element of fraud does not at all enter into the consideration of the matter. On the contrary, actions for a forfeiture under the succeeding language of the various acts have been held to be penal in their nature and to be subject to all the defenses which can be ordinarily made against such actions.

In United States v. One Case Paintings (99 Fed. 426), the goods were forfeited under section 32 of the act of 1897, and thereafter, by order of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York, the amount of duties paid-was ordered to be refunded. This was held to be error, and the court said, in commenting on the nature of section 32, the following:

That provides only for a penalty to be exacted when the importer fraudulently undervalues his goods. The fact that such penalty involves a forfeiture of the whole package undervalued is in no way inconsistent with the other provision of statute which requires the importer to pay duty. “Importation” and “fraudulent undervaluation” are two distinct acts. The doing of the one act makes the importer a debtor to the Government for the amount of duties, the doing of the other act makes him lose his goods; but there is nothing in the language of section 32 which can be construed as a remission of the obligation to pay duties in any event.

In United States v. 1,621 Pounds of Fur Clippings (106 Fed. 161) the same court, in further comment on the statute above cited, said:

Under this statute the additional duties are payable except in cases arising from a manifest clerical error, irrespective of any question of fraudulent undervaluation on the part of the importer.

To the same effect are United States v. Gray (107 Fed. 104, affirmed in 113 Fed. 213). In United States v. Bishop (125 Fed. 181), the court, in commenting on section 32 of the act of July 24 1897, said, omitting the citations there given:

The conclusion is irresistible that under section 32 of the tariff law of July 24, 1897, the fraudulent intent of the owner or of his agent in entering the imported merchandise is ah indispensable condition of the right of the Government to forfeit the goods for undervaluation. But an action to recover the additional duties accruing upon an undervaluation may be maintained against the consignee under this section, and under section 3058, Revised Statutes, as amended, in the absence of any fraudulent intent by the consignee, the owner, or the agent. Good faith and innocence constitute no defense to such an action.

In the case of The Lace House v. United States (141 Fed. 869), it was held that the fact that goods have been seized for undervaluation did not deprive the consignee or owner of the right of reappraisement given in sectipn 13 of the customs administrative act of 1890, and that the same principle would apply with like reason to the right of the collector or surveyor to call for a .reappráisement in the case of goods seized for forfeiture. Along the same general [444]*444lines see T. D. 23749 (5 Treas. Dec. 432); T. D. 27887 (13 Treas. Dec. 117); T. D. 26612 (10 Treas. Dec. 79).

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12 Ct. Cust. 440, 1925 WL 29519, 1925 CCPA LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-american-metal-co-ccpa-1925.