Shenyang Yuanda Aluminum Industry Engineering Co. v. United States , 776 F.3d 1351 ( 2015 )


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  •   United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    SHENYANG YUANDA ALUMINUM INDUSTRY
    ENGINEERING CO., LTD., OVERGAARD LIMITED,
    JANGHO CURTAIN WALL AMERICAS CO. LTD.,
    AND YUANDA USA,
    Plaintiffs-Appellants,
    AND
    BUCHER GLASS, INC.,
    Plaintiff,
    v.
    UNITED STATES, WALTERS & WOLF,
    BAGATELOS ARCHITECTURAL GLASS SYSTEMS,
    INC., AND ARCHITECTURAL GLASS & ALUMINUM
    COMPANY,
    Defendants-Appellees.
    ______________________
    2014-1386, -1387, -1388
    ______________________
    Appeals from the United States Court of International
    Trade in Nos. 1:12-cv-00420-RKE, 1:12-cv-00423-RKE,
    and 1:12-cv-00424-RKE, Judge Richard K. Eaton.
    ______________________
    Decided: January 21, 2015
    ______________________
    2                                 SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    THOMAS M. BELINE, Cassidy Levy Kent (USA) LLP, of
    Washington, DC, argued for plaintiffs-appellants. With
    him on the brief were JAMES R. CANNON, JR. and THOMAS
    M. BELINE. Of counsel on the brief were KRISTEN SMITH
    and MARK LUDWIKOWSKI, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg,
    P.A., of Washington, DC.
    TARA K. HOGAN, Senior Trial Counsel, Commercial
    Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Depart-
    ment of Justice, of Washington, DC, argued for defendant-
    appellee United States. With her on the brief were
    STUART F. DELERY, Assistant Attorney General, JEANNE
    E. DAVIDSON, Director, and REGINALD T. BLADES, JR.,
    Assistant Director. Of counsel on the brief was SCOTT
    MCBRIDE, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforce-
    ment and Compliance, United States Department of
    Commerce, of Washington, DC.
    DAVID M. SPOONER, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, of
    Washington, DC, argued for defendant-appellee Walters
    & Wolf. With him on the brief was CHRISTINE J. SOHAR
    HENTER.
    ______________________
    Before PROST, Chief Judge, PLAGER and WALLACH, Circuit
    Judges.
    WALLACH, Circuit Judge.
    Shenyang Yuanda Aluminum Industry Engineering
    Co., Ltd., Jangho Curtain Wall Americas, Co., Ltd.
    (“Jangho”), Overgaard Limited, and Bucher Glass, Inc.
    (collectively, “Yuanda”) appeal the January 30, 2014,
    judgment of the United States Court of International
    Trade (“CIT”) affirming the Department of Commerce’s
    (“Commerce”) determination that curtain wall units are
    within the scope of the antidumping and countervailing
    duty orders on aluminum extrusions from the People’s
    Republic of China. Because the CIT’s decision is support-
    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US                                     3
    ed by substantial evidence and is in accordance with law,
    this court affirms.
    BACKGROUND
    The United States International Trade Commission
    (“ITC”) initiated an investigation into whether a domestic
    industry was materially injured or threatened with mate-
    rial injury by reason of imports of certain aluminum
    extrusions from the People’s Republic of China on March
    31, 2010. See Certain Aluminum Extrusions from China,
    USITC Pub. 4153, Inv. Nos. 701-TA-475, 731-TA-1177, at
    1 (June 2010) (Preliminary) (“ITC’s Preliminary Determi-
    nations”). On May 26, 2011, Commerce issued antidump-
    ing and countervailing duty orders on aluminum
    extrusions from the People’s Republic of China. See Alu-
    minum Extrusions from the People’s Republic of China:
    Antidumping Duty Order, 76 Fed. Reg. 30,650 (Dep’t of
    Commerce May 26, 2011); Aluminum Extrusions from the
    People’s Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order, 76
    Fed. Reg. 30,653 (Dep’t of Commerce May 26, 2011) (the
    “Orders”).
    In October 2012, Defendants-Appellees, Walters &
    Wolf, Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems, Inc., and
    Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co., collectively referred
    to as the Curtain Wall Coalition (the “CWC companies”),
    submitted an amended scope request to Commerce pursu-
    ant to 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(c) (2012). The scope request
    asked Commerce to “issue a scope ruling confirming that
    curtain wall units and other parts of curtain wall systems
    are subject to the scope of the [Orders].” J.A. 4. In the
    scope request, the CWC companies explained that curtain
    walls are comprised of numerous curtain wall compo-
    nents, which can be categorized into three groups:
    (i) an aluminum extruded frame, which includes
    anchors, overlays, and other devices that attach
    the unit to the cement structure and adjoining
    units; (ii) infill material; and (iii) hardware to at-
    4                                    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    tach the curtain wall parts to the building, as well
    as to adjoining units, including fasteners, elasto-
    meric lineal gaskets, anchor assemblies and com-
    ponents, clips, screws, nuts and bolts, steel
    embeds, splices to adjoin units, sealants used be-
    tween the frames, infill material, and aluminum
    extrusion trim to physically attach the suspending
    curtain wall to the building structure.
    Appellee’s Br. 10 (citing J.A. 986–93).
    Yuanda challenged the standing of the CWC compa-
    nies, arguing that the CWC companies had not demon-
    strated they produced aluminum extrusions. Commerce
    found the CWC companies qualified as interested parties
    under § 771(9)(C) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended,
    “as manufacturers, producers, or wholesalers of a domes-
    tic like product, and thus ha[d] standing to bring the
    Amended Scope Request.” Final Scope Ruling on Curtain
    Wall Units and Other Parts of a Curtain Wall System
    from the PRC (Dep’t of Commerce, Nov. 30, 2012), ECF
    Dkt. No. 56-37 (“Final Scope Ruling”) (J.A. 117–26); see 19
    U.S.C. § 1677(9)(C) (2006).
    After resolving standing, Commerce initiated a scope
    investigation of the Orders and determined Yuanda’s
    curtain wall units were within the scope. Since it found
    the Order language dispositive, Commerce determined it
    was “unnecessary to consider” the secondary criteria set
    forth in 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(k)(2). Final Scope Ruling at
    8. The CIT affirmed Commerce’s determination and
    found Commerce correctly declined to consider the sec-
    ondary (k)(2) factors.     Shenyang Yuanda Aluminum
    Indus. Eng’g Co., v. United States, 
    961 F. Supp. 2d 1291
    (Ct. Int’l Trade 2014); see also 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(k)(1),
    (2).
    Yuanda timely appeals. This court has jurisdiction
    pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(5) (2012).
    SHENYANG YUANDA    v. US                                    5
    DISCUSSION
    This court reviews Commerce’s final determinations
    by reapplying the same standard used by the CIT; that is,
    the question is whether Commerce’s determination is
    supported by substantial evidence and is otherwise in
    accordance with law. Global Commodity Grp. LLC v.
    United States, 
    709 F.3d 1134
    , 1138 (Fed. Cir. 2013).
    This court “grant[s] significant deference to Com-
    merce’s own interpretation of [scope] orders.” Duferco
    Steel, Inc. v. United States, 
    296 F.3d 1087
    , 1094–95 (Fed.
    Cir. 2002) (citing Ericsson GE Mobile Commc’ns, Inc. v.
    United States, 
    60 F.3d 778
    , 782 (Fed. Cir. 1995)). “This
    deference is appropriate because the meaning and scope
    of . . . orders are issues ‘particularly within the expertise’
    and ‘special competence’ of Commerce.” King Supply Co.
    v. United States, 
    674 F.3d 1343
    , 1348 (Fed. Cir. 2012)
    (quoting Sandvik Steel Co. v. United States, 
    164 F.3d 596
    ,
    600 (Fed. Cir. 1998)). A party challenging a scope ruling
    by Commerce under the substantial evidence standard
    “has chosen a course with a high barrier to reversal.” 
    Id. (internal quotation
    marks and citations omitted).
    I. Legal Framework
    There is no specific statutory provision governing the
    interpretation of the scope of antidumping or countervail-
    ing orders. However, Commerce’s regulations permit an
    importer to “request a scope ruling as to whether a par-
    ticular product is covered by an . . . order.” Sango Int’l
    L.P. v. United States, 
    484 F.3d 1371
    , 1376 (Fed. Cir. 2007)
    (citing 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(c)(1)). The language of the
    order is the “cornerstone” of a scope analysis and “a
    predicate for the interpretive process.” Duferco 
    Steel, 296 F.3d at 1097
    .
    The regulations require Commerce, when determining
    the scope of an order, to engage in a two-step process.
    First, Commerce must consider the scope language con-
    6                                      SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    tained in the order itself, the descriptions contained in the
    petition, and how the scope was defined in the investiga-
    tion and in the determinations issued by Commerce and
    the ITC. Duferco 
    Steel, 296 F.3d at 1097
    ; 19 C.F.R.
    § 351.225(k)(1). The petition and preliminary determina-
    tions of Commerce and the ITC involved in the underlying
    duty investigations “may provide valuable guidance as to
    the interpretation of the final order.” 
    Id. If Commerce
    concludes the product is, or is not, included within the
    scope of the order, Commerce issues a final scope ruling.
    See Eckstrom Indus., Inc. v. United States, 
    254 F.3d 1068
    ,
    1071 (Fed. Cir. 2001). If a subsection (k)(1) analysis is not
    dispositive, then Commerce proceeds to an analysis of the
    Diversified Products Criteria under subsection (k)(2) of its
    regulations. These criteria are: (1) physical characteris-
    tics, (2) expectations of ultimate purchasers, (3) ultimate
    use, (4) channels of trade in which the product is sold, and
    (5) manner of advertising and display.            19 C.F.R.
    § 351.225(k)(2).
    II. Analysis
    A. The CWC Companies Had Standing
    As a threshold matter, Yuanda argues the CWC com-
    panies “do not produce aluminum extrusions, but instead
    produce . . . unitized curtain wall units, made by perma-
    nently sealing glass in a frame made from purchased
    aluminum extrusions” and therefore they lacked standing
    to file the scope ruling request. Appellants’ Br. 15; see
    also 
    id. at 23
    (The ITC found injury to producers of alu-
    minum extrusions but “did not find material injury to
    purchasers of aluminum extrusions that use them to
    produce different products.”).        Under 19 C.F.R.
    § 351.225(c), only an interested party may apply for a
    scope ruling. In relevant part, the antidumping and
    countervailing duty statutes define an interested party to
    include a “manufacturer, producer, or wholesaler in the
    United States of a domestic like product,” 19 U.S.C.
    SHENYANG YUANDA    v. US                                     7
    § 1677(9)(C), as well as “a trade or business association a
    majority of whose members manufacture, produce, or
    wholesale a domestic like product in the United States,”
    
    id. § 1677(9)(E).
        Relying on certifications of each member that “it pro-
    duces, manufactures and fabricates aluminum extrusions
    for the production of curtain wall units and parts of
    curtain wall systems in the United States,” J.A. 975–77,
    and that curtain wall units are expressly covered by the
    scope of the orders, Commerce determined each CWC
    company is a manufacturer, producer, or wholesaler in
    the United States of a domestic like product. Final Scope
    Ruling at 2 (citing 19 U.S.C. § 1677(9)(C)). In response to
    Yuanda’s standing arguments, Commerce found “no
    evidence on the record that calls the accuracy of these
    certifications into question,” discussed the broad scope of
    the Orders, and noted they encompassed “a myriad of
    industries.” 
    Id. at 10.
         Parts for curtain walls were included from the begin-
    ning of the investigation. See, e.g., Aluminum Extrusions
    from the People’s Republic of China, 75 Fed. Reg. 22,109,
    22,114 (Dep’t of Commerce Apr. 27, 2010) (initiation of
    antidumping duty investigation) (“[S]ubject aluminum
    extrusions may be described at the time of importation as
    parts for final finished products . . . including . . . curtain
    walls.”). In response to Yuanda below, Commerce explic-
    itly held that “curtain walls assembled after importation
    are within the scope [of the Orders],” J.A. 1230, and since
    curtain walls are comprised of curtain wall units, the
    scope ruling included the units. The ITC Final Report
    also indicates the ITC considered curtain wall units in its
    initial investigation. See Certain Aluminum Extrusions
    from China, Inv. Nos. 701-TA-475 & 731-TA-1177, USITC
    Pub. 4229 (May 2011) (Final).
    Appellants insist the “record shows that the Commis-
    sion never collected data or otherwise investigated the
    8                                    SHENYANG YUANDA     v. US
    condition of, and the effect of subject imports on, domestic
    producers of curtain wall units.” Appellants’ Br. 23 (citing
    J.A. 1163). Yuanda provides no legal support for its
    contention that such an investigation is necessary, and, in
    fact, the purpose of a scope proceeding is to clarify wheth-
    er a specific product is covered. As the Government
    points out, “appellants’ suggestion that the ITC must find
    injury as to all domestic producers is akin to requiring
    every producer of aluminum extrusion products expressly
    listed in the scope, and those covered by an order but not
    expressly listed, to participate in an investigation.”
    United States’ Br. 18. Yuanda’s unsupported contention
    accordingly fails.
    Similarly, Yuanda also relies on Wheatland Tube Co.
    v. United States, 
    161 F.3d 1365
    , 1369 (Fed. Cir. 1998), to
    argue “[t]he Orders [c]annot [l]awfully [e]xtend to
    [i]mports of [c]urtain [w]all [u]nits [w]ithout a [f]inding of
    [i]njury to the [d]omestic [c]urtain [w]all [u]nit
    [i]ndustry.” Appellants’ Br. 22. That case is inapposite.
    Here, the investigations included aluminum extrusion
    parts, such as those used for curtain walls, J.A. 1220–34,
    whereas in Wheatland, line pipe was not included in the
    injury determinations and so the court held the order
    could not be expanded beyond that injury determination.
    See Wheatland Tube 
    Co., 161 F.3d at 1369
    .
    If Commerce or the CIT had determined producers of
    curtain wall units are not “producers, manufacturers, or
    wholesalers of the domestic like product” it would mean
    that curtain wall units are not within the scope of the
    Orders. This finding would be in direct conflict with the
    Final Scope Ruling, at issue in this case, that curtain wall
    units are within the scope of the Orders. See Final Scope
    Ruling at 10. The CIT thus correctly found the CWC
    companies “produce and manufacture ‘aluminum extru-
    sions for the production of curtain wall units and parts of
    curtain wall systems,’ products that the court finds fall
    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US                                    9
    within the ambit of the Orders.” J.A. 18. Accordingly, the
    Defendants-Appellees had standing.
    B. The Scope Language of the Orders Includes Curtain
    Wall Units
    Scope language is the “cornerstone” of any scope de-
    termination. See Walgreen Co. of Deerfield, IL v. United
    States, 
    620 F.3d 1350
    , 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (quoting
    Duferco 
    Steel, 296 F.3d at 1097
    ). The scope, in relevant
    part, of Commerce’s antidumping and countervailing duty
    Orders regarding certain aluminum extrusions from the
    People’s Republic of China recites:
    The merchandise covered by these Orders is alu-
    minum extrusions which are shapes and forms,
    produced by an extrusion process, made from
    aluminum alloys having metallic elements . . . .
    Aluminum extrusions are produced and imported
    in a wide variety of shapes and forms, including,
    but not limited to, hollow profiles, other solid pro-
    files, pipes, tubes, bars, and rods. Aluminum ex-
    trusions that are drawn subsequent to extrusion
    (drawn aluminum) are also included in the
    scope. . . .
    Subject aluminum extrusions may be described at
    the time of importation as parts for final finished
    products that are assembled after importation, in-
    cluding, but not limited to, window frames, door
    frames, solar panels, curtain walls, or furniture.
    ...
    The scope also excludes finished merchandise con-
    taining aluminum extrusions as parts that are
    fully and permanently assembled and completed
    at the time of entry, such as finished windows with
    glass, doors with glass . . . .
    Final Scope Ruling 3–4 (emphases added).
    10                                     SHENYANG YUANDA     v. US
    Yuanda’s primary argument on appeal is that “Com-
    merce [u]nlawfully [e]xpanded the [s]cope of the Orders
    on [a]luminum [e]xtrusions to [i]nclude [c]urtain [w]all
    [u]nits.” Appellants’ Br. 21. Specifically, Yuanda con-
    tends both Commerce’s and the CIT’s decisions “stand on
    a ‘formal fallacy,’ i.e., a flaw in the logical structure of the
    argument which renders the argument invalid.” 
    Id. Yuanda agrees
    “[a]luminum extrusions are subject to the
    Orders” and “may be described as parts for curtain walls.”
    
    Id. at 22.
    Yuanda disagrees, however, that these proposi-
    tions lead to the conclusion that its curtain wall units are
    subject to the Orders. Instead, Yuanda argues, the plain
    language of the Orders demonstrates curtain wall units
    are subject to the Orders only “if aluminum extrusions are
    imported as parts for curtain walls,” 
    id. at 28,
    and that
    “[c]urtain wall units are different from the aluminum
    extrusions used to make their frame,” 
    id. at 26;
    see also
    
    id. at 28
    (explaining Commerce undertook no analysis “to
    show that unitized curtain wall units ‘otherwise meet the
    definition of’ aluminum extrusions”).
    Commerce’s expertise is often required to clarify scope
    language and determine whether products fall within the
    language of the order, which is typically written in gen-
    eral terms. See 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(a); see also Duferco
    
    Steel, 296 F.3d at 1096
    . The Orders here cover “alumi-
    num extrusions which are shapes and forms, produced by
    an extrusion process, made from aluminum alloys having
    metallic elements corresponding to [certain] alloy series
    designations.” J.A. 1011. Its definition of subject alumi-
    num extrusions is broad and covers products with a “wide
    variety of shapes and forms,” and “with a variety of finish-
    es (both coatings and surface treatments), and types of
    fabrication.” 
    Id. (emphases added).
    Curtain wall units,
    such as Yuanda’s, “can be ordered from multiple foreign
    sources as assembled aluminum framed units, and [may
    be] sometimes pre-glazed with glass.” J.A. 989. They
    contain aluminum extrusions. That Yuanda’s products
    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US                                 11
    are called “curtain wall units,” rather than “aluminum
    extrusions” does not preclude them from the scope since
    they otherwise meet the physical description of the sub-
    ject merchandise.
    Indeed, curtain wall parts and units are often classi-
    fied and imported under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule
    of the United States (“HTSUS”) subheadings 7610.90 and
    7610.10, which cover “aluminum structures and parts of
    structures; other.” HTSUS 7610.10, 7610.90. Appellant
    Jangho contends “‘[a] product’s tariff classification is
    merely of peripheral interest to suggest the general
    nature of a good’ and is not dispositive of whether a
    product falls under the scope of an order.” Jangho Reply
    11 (quoting Torrington Co. v. United States, 
    745 F. Supp. 718
    , 722 (Ct. Int’l Trade 1990)). Here, neither Commerce
    nor the CIT found the HTSUS subheadings dispositive;
    the HTSUS merely bolstered what is already explicitly
    included in the language of the Orders. See J.A. 1230.
    Yuanda also disregards the Orders’ explicit inclusion
    of parts for curtain walls. The Orders include (1) “subject
    aluminum extrusions . . . described at the time of impor-
    tation as parts for final finished products that are assem-
    bled after importation, including . . . curtain walls,” (2)
    “aluminum extrusion components that are attached (e.g.,
    by welding or fasteners) to form subassemblies (i.e.,
    partially assembled merchandise),” and (3) aluminum
    extrusions that are “identified with reference to their end
    use.” Final Scope Ruling at 4. Each of these three cate-
    gories applies to curtain wall units.
    Yuanda further contends the CIT “acknowledges im-
    plicitly that aluminum extrusions and curtain wall units
    are different products,” suggesting the scope does not
    extend to curtain wall units or parts of curtain walls.
    Appellants’ Br. 26 (citing Shenyang Yuanda, 
    961 F. Supp. 2d
    at 1298–99). To Yuanda, Commerce “impermissibly
    assumed that because the Orders mention ‘parts’ for
    12                                  SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    ‘curtain walls,’ they therefore extend to unitized curtain
    wall units.” 
    Id. at 28.
    As the CIT explained, curtain wall
    units are “undeniably components that are fastened
    together to form a completed curtain wall,” Shenyang
    Yuanda, 
    961 F. Supp. 2d
    at 1298, and “the CWC [compa-
    nies] sought a ruling on what products were covered by
    the Orders, not whether specific companies’ merchandise
    could be excluded from them.” 
    Id. at 1301.
    Yuanda
    essentially argues the whole is something different than
    the sum of its parts. This could be true if essential char-
    acter changed from what was considered in the investiga-
    tion. Here, however, as explicitly provided for in the
    scope language, parts for curtain walls are part of the
    subject matter of the Orders. This court discerns no flaw
    in Commerce’s determination that Yuanda’s curtain wall
    parts are within the plain language of the Orders.
    In addition to the plain language of the Orders, Com-
    merce will also consider the descriptions of the merchan-
    dise contained in the petition, the initial investigation,
    and the prior determinations of Commerce and the ITC.
    See King 
    Supply, 674 F.3d at 1345
    . Those descriptions in
    the petition initiating the antidumping and countervail-
    ing duty orders as well as the ITC investigation also show
    parts for curtain walls are included within the Orders’
    scope. The ITC noted “aluminum extrusions serve in a
    wide variety of applications such as window and door
    frames and sills, curtain walls, thresholds, gutters, solar
    panel frames, and vehicle parts” and emphasized the
    broad range of end uses for the subject aluminum extru-
    sions, including “[b]uilding and [c]onstruction,” which
    specifically included “high-rise curtain wall” products.
    J.A. 1128–30 (emphasis added).           The ITC noted
    “[a]ccording to petitioners, the wide and varied uses of
    aluminum extrusions are due to their combination of
    desirable performance characteristics such as high
    strength, low weight, high corrosion-resistance, and
    relative workability and/or machineability.” J.A. 1128.
    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US                                  13
    Accordingly, the petition and investigation support the
    CIT’s holding.
    C. Yuanda’s Products Do Not Fall Within the “Finished
    Merchandise” Exception
    Yuanda argues that “[e]ven if it were possible to read
    the scope language of the Orders as otherwise including
    curtain wall units, the [Orders’] explicit exclusion for
    ‘finished merchandise containing aluminum extrusions as
    parts that are fully and permanently assembled and
    completed at the time of entry’ would remove unitized
    curtain wall units from [their] scope.” Appellants’ Br. 28.
    The CIT acknowledged this argument, rejecting Yuanda’s
    contention “the term ‘parts for’ somehow means some-
    thing smaller or less manufactured than a curtain wall
    unit.” Shenyang Yuanda, 
    961 F. Supp. 2d
    at 1298. Ulti-
    mately, the CIT determined that “there is nothing in the
    ‘parts for’ language that would suggest this kind of re-
    striction, and the court will not add any.” 
    Id. Commerce explicitly
    considered whether Yuanda’s
    merchandise fell into one of the enumerated exclusions
    from the Orders and found that the parts of curtain walls
    subject to the scope ruling did not satisfy the “finished
    merchandise” exclusion. Commerce explained that the
    CWC companies defined curtain wall as “an aluminum
    extrusion framed non-weight bearing exterior wall” that
    is supported by the structure of the building to which it is
    secured. Final Scope Ruling at 3. Commerce also ex-
    plained “curtain wall parts fall short of the final finished
    curtain wall that envelopes [sic] the entire building struc-
    ture. Certain curtain wall parts are assembled into
    modules that are designed to be interlocked with other
    curtain wall parts, like pieces of a puzzle.” 
    Id. Commerce determined
    finished merchandise is a
    “complete product upon entry,” but that units for curtain
    walls are designed to be attached to other units to even-
    tually form a completed curtain wall. The CIT also de-
    14                                 SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    termined an individual curtain wall unit “has no con-
    sumptive or practical use because multiple units are
    required to form the wall of a building.” Shenyang Yu-
    
    anda, 961 F. Supp. 2d at 1298
    –99. Yuanda itself concedes
    that “absolutely no one purchases for consumption a
    single curtain wall piece or unit.” 
    Id. at 1298
    (internal
    quotation marks and citation omitted). A single unit does
    not a curtain wall make, nor is it a finished product. As
    the CIT correctly explained, “[c]urtain wall units are []
    undeniably components that are fastened together to form
    a completed curtain wall. Thus, they are ‘parts for,’ and
    ‘subassemblies’ for, completed curtain walls.” 
    Id. A part
    or subassembly, here a curtain wall unit, cannot be a
    finished product.
    Moreover, although the scope excludes “windows with
    glass,” it does not exclude curtain wall units with glass.
    J.A. 125; see also Shenyang Yu
    anda, 961 F. Supp. 2d at 1298
    (“[I]t is apparent that the Orders separately and
    intentionally distinguish windows from curtain wall
    units, and that the ‘finished merchandise’ exception does
    not encompass curtain wall units.”). Under the doctrines
    of expressio unius est exclusio alterius 1 and noscitur a
    sociis, 2 that finished windows with glass are excluded by
    1   Typically used in statutory interpretation, this
    Latin phrase translates to mean the express mention of
    one thing excludes all others. See Barnhart v. Peabody
    Coal Co., 
    537 U.S. 149
    , 168 (2003) (“The canon depends on
    identifying a series of two or more terms or things that
    should be understood to go hand in hand, which [is]
    abridged in circumstances supporting a sensible inference
    that the term left out must have been meant to be exclud-
    ed.”) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
    2    “The maxim noscitur a sociis, that a word is
    known by the company it keeps, while not an inescapable
    rule, is often wisely applied where a word is capable of
    SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US                                   15
    name means that walls with glass are necessarily includ-
    ed, leaving aside that curtain walls are also specifically
    included by name. Accordingly, the CIT correctly deter-
    mined Yuanda’s curtain wall parts are not finished mer-
    chandise because it is nonsensical to construe “parts
    for . . . curtain walls” to mean finished merchandise. 
    Id. at 1299
    (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
    D. Commerce Properly Declined to Consider the 19 C.F.R.
    § 351.225(k)(2) Factors
    Both the plain language of the Orders and the de-
    scription of the merchandise in the investigations clearly
    demonstrate that curtain wall units and other parts of
    curtain walls are within the scope of the Orders. Accord-
    ingly, contrary to Appellants’ argument, Commerce did
    not err by declining to consider the additional factors of
    19 C.F.R. § 351.225(k)(2). Had Commerce considered
    these factors after finding the scope language dispositive,
    it would have been in conflict with this court’s precedent
    and the regulations. See Eckstrom Indus., 
    Inc., 254 F.3d at 1076
    (“Commerce may only look to the factors enumer-
    ated in 19 C.F.R. § 351.225(k)(2) if its consideration of the
    order in light of the underlying petition, investigations,
    and determinations is not dispositive.”); 19 C.F.R.
    § 351.225(k)(2).
    CONCLUSION
    The scope language explicitly includes “parts for . . .
    curtain walls” and curtain wall units are parts of a fin-
    ished curtain wall. Therefore, Yuanda’s curtain wall
    units meet the definition of the subject aluminum extru-
    sions. Accordingly, the decision of the CIT is
    many meanings in order to avoid the giving of unintended
    breadth to the Acts of Congress.” Jarecki v. G. D. Searle
    & Co., 
    367 U.S. 303
    , 307 (1961).
    16              SHENYANG YUANDA   v. US
    AFFIRMED
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 2014-1386, 2014-1387, 2014-1388

Citation Numbers: 776 F.3d 1351, 2015 WL 249429, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 854, 36 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 1145

Judges: Prost, Plager, Wallach

Filed Date: 1/21/2015

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 10/19/2024

Authorities (11)

Jarecki v. G. D. Searle & Co. , 81 S. Ct. 1579 ( 1961 )

Torrington Co. v. United States , 14 Ct. Int'l Trade 507 ( 1990 )

duferco-steel-inc-v-united-states-and-bethlehem-steel-corporation-and , 296 F.3d 1087 ( 2002 )

Sandvik Steel Company v. United States, Fujitsu Ten ... , 164 F.3d 596 ( 1998 )

Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co. , 123 S. Ct. 748 ( 2003 )

Eckstrom Industries, Inc. v. United States , 254 F.3d 1068 ( 2001 )

ericsson-ge-mobile-communications-inc-and-murata-manufacturing-co-ltd , 60 F.3d 778 ( 1995 )

Walgreen Co. of Deerfield, Il v. United States , 620 F.3d 1350 ( 2010 )

Sango International, L.P. v. United States , 484 F.3d 1371 ( 2007 )

King Supply Co., LLC v. United States , 674 F.3d 1343 ( 2012 )

wheatland-tube-company-v-united-states-v-dongbu-steel-co-ltd-hyundai , 161 F.3d 1365 ( 1998 )

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