United States v. Judson Sheldon Division, National Carloading Corp.

42 C.C.P.A. 202
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedJune 15, 1955
DocketNo. 4812
StatusPublished

This text of 42 C.C.P.A. 202 (United States v. Judson Sheldon Division, National Carloading Corp.) 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. Judson Sheldon Division, National Carloading Corp., 42 C.C.P.A. 202 (ccpa 1955).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from the judgment of the Customs Court, Third Division, entered pursuant to its decision, C. D. 1581, declaring the liquidation on May 23, 1950 of San Francisco entry No. 08124 to be illegal, as a result dismissing as premature two protests against the liquidation, and directing the collector to repost a bulletin notice of said liquidation so that a timely protest could be filed within 60 days after said posting.

The imported merchandise consists of road graders. It appears from the record that the graders were exported from the United States to Australia in non-working condition. Various parts were manufactured in Australia and added to the graders. The road graders were then imported into the United States, the actual date of entry being December 14, 1948. The entry was liquidated on May 23, 1950 by the posting of a bulletin notice, the pertinent portions thereof being as follows:

Collection District No. 28
Port San Francisco — Oakland
Bureau of Customs
Bulletin Notice of Entries Liquidated
Entries Liquidated on May 23, 1950, and so Stamped
Kind of Entry Date of Entry No. Entry Importer or Claimant Vessel Remarks (Increase, decrease, no change)
Free Entries — With Deposit
01824 48/49 National Carloading Corp. Indian ' Increase
Judson Sheldon Division Bear

Written protests were filed and received on August 11, 1950 and September 10, 1951, more than 60 days after the date of the bulletin notice of liquidation. In the report of the collector on the protests it was held that they were not received within the statutory period. On appeal, the Customs Court held that the liquidation of the involved merchandise was illegal since the bulletin notice was insufficient to give proper notice of liquidation to the importer.

The basic issue before this court is whether the information contained in the bulletin notice of liquidation was sufficient to inform the importer of the date of liquidation. As a corollary, it must be added that if the importer could have reasonably been misled or confused [204]*204by the bulletin notice of liquidation, as posted, then it must be held that the notice was legally insufficient.

The pertinent statutes and regulations are as follows:

TARIFF ACT OF 1930:
See. 505. PAYMENT OF DUTIES,
The consignee shall deposit with the collector, at the time of making entry, unless the merchandise is entered for warehouse or transportation, or under bond, the amount of duty estimated to be payable thereon. Upon receipt of the appraiser’s report and of the various reports of landing, weight, guage, or measurement the collector shall ascertain, fix, and liquidate the rate and amount of duties to be paid on such merchandise as provided by law and shall give notice of such liquidation in the form and manner prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, and collect any increased or additional duties due or refund any excess of duties deposited as determined on such liquidation.
Sec. 514. PROTEST AGAINST COLLECTOR’S DECISIONS.
* * * all decisions of the collector, including the legality of all orders and findings entering into the same, as to the rate and amount of duties chargeable, and as to all exactions of whatever character (within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury), and his decisions excluding any merchandise from entry or delivery, under any provision of the customs laws, and his liquidation or reliquidation of any entry, or refusal to pay any claim for drawback, or his refusal to reliquidate any entry for á clerical error discovered within one year after the date of entry, * * * shall, upon the expiration of sixty days after the date of such liquidation, reliquidation, decision, or refusal, be final and conclusive upon all persons (including the United States and any officer thereof), unless the importer, consignee, or agent of the person paying such charge or exaction, or filing such claim for drawback, or seeking such entry or delivery, shall within sixty days after, but not before such liquidation, reliquidation, decision, or refusal, as the case may be, as well in cases of merchandise entered in bond as for consumption, file a protest in writing with the collector setting forth distinctly and specifically, and in respect to each entry, payment, claim, decision, or refusal, the reasons for the objection thereto. * * *

Article 16.2 (d) of tbe Customs Regulations of 1943, in effect at tbe time bereinvolved, provides, in part, as follows:

Upon the return of entries to the collector after the assessment of duties and internal-revenue taxes has been verified by the comptroller, formal entries shall be immediately scheduled on a bulletin notice of liquidation, customs Form 4333. * * * The bulletin notice of liquidation shall be posted as soon as possible in a conspicuous place in the customhouse for the information of importers and shall be dated with the date of posting. The entries for which the bulletin notice of liquidation has been posted shall be stamped “Liquidated,” with the date of liquidation, which shall be the same as the date of the bulletin notice of liquidation. Such stamping shall be deemed the legal evidence of liquidation.

Tbe above cited statutes bave been before tbis court previously. It bas been beld tbat unless a written protest is filed witbin 60 days of tbe liquidation as required by section 514, supra, tbe decision of tbe collector becomes final and conclusive against all parties including tbe Government. Wood & Selick v. United States, 24 C. C. [205]*205P. A. (Customs) 355. (Also see Spiegel Bros. v. United States, 21 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 310, and Gallagher & Ascher v. United States, 21 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 313, which, were decided under the Tariff Act of 1922). , However, the notice of liquidation, in order to constitute legal notice, must be given by the collector in the form and manner prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, and whether this has been properly done is a question to be determined in each case. United States v. Astra Bentwood Furniture Co., 28 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 205.

The case of United States v. Astra Bentwood Furniture Co., supra, has been cited by both parties. In that case it was held that the bulletin notice of liquidation was illegal since the name of the importer and the date of entry appearing on the notice of liquidation were incorrectly stated. More specifically, the name of the importer, Astra Bentwood Furniture Co., appeared as “Astringent Wood Furniture Co.” The date of entry appeared on the notice of liquidation as May 9, 1934 whereas the actual date of entry was May 9, 1933. The court held, insofar as pertinent here, that no notice was ever posted in conformity with the prevailing customs regulations, and that there was therefore no legal liquidation of the entry.

There is no contention here by appellee that the bulletin notice lacked any material information.

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42 C.C.P.A. 202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-judson-sheldon-division-national-carloading-corp-ccpa-1955.