Jacob Kopnick

Importer Portmeirion Group USA dropped its customs case at the Court of International Trade on Oct. 28, filing a notice of dismissal. The company brought the suit in 2021 to reclassify its ceramic tableware and kitchenware imports under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 6911.10.3850, dutiable at 6%, or subheading 6912.00.3950, dutiable at 4.5%. Counsel for the importer declined to comment (Portmeirion Group USA v. United States, CIT # 21-00179).

The Commerce Department on Oct. 28 continued to reject separate rate status for exporters Mayrun Tyre (Hong Kong), Shandong Hengyu Science & Technology Co., Winrun Tyre Co., Shandong Wanda Boto Tyre Co. and Shandong Linglong Tyre Co. in the 2016-17 review of the antidumping duty order on passenger vehicle and light truck tires from China (YC Rubber Co. (North America) v. U.S., CIT # 19-00069).

Trade compliance firm Besso hired Michiel Kalverkamp, Amazon's former head of global trade services for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as its chief customer officer, the company announced in an email. Switzerland-based Besso uses AI to address global trade compliance issues.

The Court of International Trade on Oct. 28 dismissed exporter Yantai T.Full Biotech Co.'s antidumping case for failure to prosecute. The exporter didn't file a complaint within the period prescribed by the statute. The company filed its suit in September to contest the Commerce Department's antidumping duty investigation on pea protein from China (Yantai T.Full Biotech Co. v. United States, CIT # 24-00183).

The Commerce Department has the authority to countervail currency undervaluation, the Court of International Trade held in a decision made public Oct. 25. Judge Timothy Reif found that nothing in the text of the countervailing duty statute, the statute's legislative history or legislative or administrative developments prohibit Commerce from imposing CVD due to a country's undervalued currency.

The following lawsuit was recently filed at the Court of International Trade:

The Commerce Department unlawfully declined to assign exporter Yantai Zhongzhen Trading Co. a separate antidumping rate in the AD investigation on pea protein from China, the company argued in a complaint at the Court of International Trade on Oct. 25. Zhongzhen targeted Commerce's decision to root its finding in the fact that one if its corporate officials is a member of a local People's Congress and another is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Zhaoyuan City (CPPCC) (Yantai Oriental Protein Tech Co. v. United States, CIT # 24-00181).

The Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the vessel that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore will pay $101,980,000 to settle the government's civil claim against the companies for "costs borne in responding" to the bridge's collapse, DOJ announced on Oct. 24. The U.S. sought over $103 million under the Rivers and Harbors Act, Oil Pollution Act and general maritime law (see 2409190042). DOJ said the money will go to the U.S. Treasury and various federal agencies "directly affected" by the collision or involved in the response. The settlement doesn't include costs for reconstructing the bridge, since those efforts will be led by the State of Maryland (In the Matter of the Petition of Grace Ocean Private Limited, D. Md. # 24-00941).

Florida resident Yuksel Senbol was sentenced on Oct. 24 to 15 months in prison for violating the Export Control Reform Act and Arms Export Control Act, among other things, DOJ announced. Senbol, who pleaded guilty in May (see 2405080060), "knowingly facilitated the illegal export" of export-controlled drawings of key U.S. military technology and helped her co-conspirators fraudulently procure contracts to supply the Defense Department with "critical military components," DOJ said. She also agreed to forfeit $275,430.90.

The following lawsuit was recently filed at the Court of International Trade: