The U.S. agreed to classify importer Jing Mei Automotive (USA)'s rear drive axle covers and front axle covers under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 8708.70.60, dutiable at 2.5%, according to stipulated judgments the government and Jing Mei filed in a trio of cases at the Court of International Trade (Jing Mei Automotive (USA) v. United States, CIT #'s 14-00281, 14-00060, 14-00003).
The Court of International Trade did not err in classifying The Comfy, an oversized pullover imported by Cozy Comfort, as a pullover of Harmonized Tariff Schedule 6110 and not a blanket of heading 6301, the U.S. argued in a Dec. 19 reply brief at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Cozy Comfort v. United States, Fed. Cir. # 25-1889).
A California customs broker was sentenced on Dec. 18 to 51 months in prison for defrauding importers, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. Frank Seung Noah owned and operated customs brokerage Comis International and also was ordered to pay $7,579,141 in restitution.
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:
In the Dec. 17 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 47), CBP published proposals to revoke ruling letters and revoke treatment relating to the tariff classification of glass cold brew coffee makers and teapots with stainless steel filters or infusers.
The following lawsuits were filed recently at the Court of International Trade:
Ceratizit USA, a North Carolina-based tungsten carbide distributor, agreed to pay $54.4 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by "knowingly and improperly failing to pay duties owed on tungsten carbide products" from China, DOJ announced.
Taiwan opened dispute consultations with Canada at the World Trade Organization regarding Canada's tariff rate quotas and surtax on certain steel goods and its global duty on certain steel derivative goods, the WTO announced. The consultations request formally opens a WTO dispute and gives the parties 60 days to resolve it, after which it will be sent to adjudication before a panel.
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court last month found that Mexico discriminated against non-Mexican steel conduit in government procurement through, among other things, state-owned bank loans, energy subsidies, "unfair transshipment schemes" and "permitting misclassification of steel conduit" (Wheatland Tube v. Foreign Country of Mexico, Pa. Cmwlth. # 496).
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York: