United States v. T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc.

52 Cust. Ct. 624, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1385
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1964
DocketA.R.D. 170; Entry No. 716738, etc
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 52 Cust. Ct. 624 (United States v. T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc.) 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
United States v. T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc., 52 Cust. Ct. 624, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1385 (cusc 1964).

Opinion

LawRence, Judge:

The United States has filed this application for review of the decision and judgment of the court below. T. M. [625]*625Duche & Sons, Inc., et al. v. United States, 49 Cust. Ct. 377, Reap. Dec. 10325.

The five appeals for reappraisement referred to below were consolidated for trial and judgment was entered in favor of the importers.

4s the case comes before us, the Government has abandoned its application for review as to reappraisement appeals R58/27517, R59/4097, R59/7103, and 1159/11788, so that this proceeding now relates only to reappraisement appeal 1159/15244.

By assignment of errors, the Government contends that the trial court erred as follows:

1. In finding and holding that the Court properly permitted the importer to execute and file an appeal for reappraisement in Reappraisement No. R59/15244 more than 30 days after appraisement, which was contrary to the provisions of section 501 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and in not finding and holding to the contrary.
2. In finding and holding that the Court had jurisdiction to hear and determine the correct dutiable value of the merchandise in Reappraisement No. R59/15244, and in not finding and holding that the Court had no jurisdiction to hear and determine the correct dutiable value of the merchandise in Reappraisement No. R59/15244 because no appeal for reappraisement was filed in accordance with law.
3. In finding and holding that Exhibit 1, relative to Reappraisement No. R59/15244, was admissible in evidence, and in not finding and holding to the contrary.

It appears from tire record below that this case was originally tried before the late Judge Mollison and, at that time, a motion was made before him to dismiss the appeal on the ground of invalidity, by reason of being unsigned. The motion was denied, without opinion, in an unpublished order, filed July 7, 1960. The order further granted plaintiff’s motion to amend said appeal for reappraisement “by adding thereto its signature by its duly authorized agent upon the next docket call.”

In appearance, the appeal, as originally filed within the statutory period provided for in section 501(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, was as follows:

APPEAL OE COLLECTOR OE CUSTOMS OR CONSIGNEE EOR REAP-PRAISEMENT BY A JUDGE OE THE UNITED STATES CUSTOMS COURT
BUREAU OP CUSTOMS
District No. 10, Port of New York August 24, 1959
To the United States Customs Court,
201 Varick Street,
New York 14, New York.
Gentlemen:
Appeal is hereby taken for a reappraisement by a Judge of the United States Customs Court from the appraisement by the United States Appraiser, in ae-[626]*626cordance with the provisions of section 501 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, of certain Agar Agar imported in the name of T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc, via Andria, entered' ait this port on July 17, 1959. Entry No. OE 716738. (Vessel or carrier) Respectfully, (Consignee or Agent) 117 Hudson Street, (Address) New York 13, N.Y.

The opinion, of Judge Mollison, T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 46 Cust. Ct. 571, Reap. Dec. 9904, recites—

On October 10, 1960, plaintiff’s counsel appeared in open court with a person he stated to be 'William H. MacEvoy, and further that Mr. MacEvoy held “the corporate power of 'attorney to sign all corporate documents except protests.” Upon this identification, Mr. MacEvoy was permitted by the court to write the following in the blank space above the printed words “(Consignee or Agent)” on the appeal form in this case:
T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc., by William D. MacEvoy, Atty.
Counsel for the defendant renewed his motion to dismiss the appeal and stated:
I would like to have the record show that this appeal was perfected on October 10, 1960, and not filed with the Collector within 30 days after the appraisement.
Further objection was made by counsel for the defendant on the ground that there was no proof of record that Mr. MacEvoy had authority to sign for and on behalf of the plaintiff, a corporation. Counsel for the plaintiff requested an adjournment in order that such proof might be offered, and the request was granted.

At a subsequent bearing, plaintiff offered in evidence a pbotostatic copy of a document identified as “Customs Form 5293 Treasury Department” and entitled “Corporation Power of Attorney, Bureau of Customs” (plaintiff’s exhibit 1) which reads in part—

Know Am, Men by These Presents, That T. M. Duche & Sons, Inc, a corpora-(Name of corporation)
tion doing business under the laws of the State of Delaware, and having an office and place of business at 117 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y., hereby constitutes and appoints each of the following William D. MacEvoy 408 Craig Avenue, Staten Island 7, N.Y. Alfred T. Chestnut 33 Austin Ave., Staten Island 5, N.Y. as a true and lawful agent and attorney of the grantor named above for and in the name, place, and stead of said grantor from this date * * *.

The document was accepted by the court as sufficient proof of the fact that agency existed in Mr. MacEvoy, the signer of the appeal, with power to act for plaintiff corporation and duly authorized to sign the appeal for reappraisement herein and thereby cured what the court apparently regarded as a defect in form but not of substance.

[627]*627The court expressed the opinion that While appeals for reappraisement, * * * are considered pleadings in this court, * * * in practice, they actually take the form of a request for reappraisement by a judge of this court, and do not set forth any specific allegations of fact upon which the filing party bases his claim.” (See section 501(a), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.)

It was observed that appeals are filed with the collector, rather than with the court, in order to notify that officer that the appraisement was not final and that liquidation of the entry would not be in order.

Although appellant herein assigns error to the admissibility in evidence of exhibit 1, the point is not now pressed, and we deem it to have been abandoned.

We now turn our attention to the question whether the appeal, as originally filed with the collector, was a valid appeal.

In his opinion in Eeap. Dec. 9904, supra, wherein Judge Mollison was considering the admissibility of plaintiff’s exhibit 1, he made the following statement:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 Cust. Ct. 624, 1964 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-t-m-duche-sons-inc-cusc-1964.