Thai I-Mei Frozen Foods Co. v. United States

Slip Op. 09-65
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
THAI I-MEI FROZEN FOODS CO.,
LTD.,
Plaintiff, Before: Timothy C. Stanceu, Judge
v. Court No. 05-00197
UNITED STATES,
Defendant.
OPINION
[Affirming the redetermination of an amended final determination of sales at less than fair value
following court-ordered remands]
Dated: June 24, 2009
Steptoe & Johnson LLP (Eric C. Emerson and Michael T. Gershberg) for plaintiff.
Tony West, Assistant Attorney General, Jeanne E. Davidson, Director, Patricia M.
McCarthy, Assistant Director, Barbara S. Williams, Attorney in Charge, International Trade
Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice
(Stephen C. Tosini); Nithya Nagarajan, Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Administration,
United States Department of Commerce, of counsel, for defendant.
The court has reviewed the Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand
(“Second Remand Redetermination”), as filed by the International Trade Administration, United
States Department of Commerce (“Commerce” or the “Department”) on March 20, 2009. The
court concludes that the Second Remand Redetermination is in accordance with the opinions and
orders issued in this case. See Thai I-Mei Frozen Foods Co., Ltd. v. United States, 31 CIT __,
477 F. Supp. 2d 1332 (2007) (“Thai I-Mei I”); Thai I-Mei Frozen Foods Co., Ltd. v. United
Court No. 05-00197 Page 2
States, 32 CIT __, 572 F. Supp. 2d 1353 (2008) (“Thai I-Mei II”); Thai I-Mei Frozen Foods Co.,
Ltd. v. United States, 33 CIT __, Slip. Op. 09-6 (Jan. 21, 2009) (“Thai I-Mei III”).
Commerce issued the Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand
(June 11, 2007) (“First Remand Redetermination”) in response to the court’s decision in Thai I-
Mei I, 31 CIT ___, 477 F. Supp. 2d 1332, in which the court reviewed the Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Negative Final Determination of Critical
Circumstances: Certain Frozen and Canned Warmwater Shrimp From Thailand, 69 Fed.
Reg. 76,918 (Dec. 23, 2004), as amended by the Notice of Amended Final Determination of Sales
at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order: Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp from
Thailand, 70 Fed. Reg. 5145 (Feb. 1, 2005). In Thai I-Mei II, 32 CIT at __, 572 F. Supp. 2d
at 1371-72, the court remanded the First Remand Redetermination to Commerce with the
instruction that Commerce calculate a constructed value profit rate for Thai I-Mei that is in
accordance with law. The Second Remand Redetermination assigns to Thai I-Mei a final
dumping margin of 1.88%, which is a de minimis margin. Second Remand Redetermination 28;
see 19 U.S.C. §§ 1673b(b)(3), 1673d(a)(4) (2006).
Commerce issued its draft version of the Second Remand Redetermination on
February 18, 2009, and plaintiff submitted comments to the Department on February 25, 2009.
Second Remand Redetermination 2. On April 20, 2009, following issuance of the Second
Remand Redetermination, plaintiff timely filed comments with the court. Pl.’s Comments
Regarding Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Ct. Remand (“Pl.’s Comments”). In its
comments filed with the court, plaintiff declined to challenge the Second Remand
Redetermination, stating that it found flaws with the Department’s analysis but believed those
Court No. 05-00197 Page 3
flaws to constitute harmless error. Id. at 1, 3. Thai I-Mei explained that it “agreed with the
[constructed value] profit calculation methodology used in Commerce’s draft, but disagreed (as it
does with the final Remand Results) with Commerce’s failure to calculate a [constructed value]
profit cap and its evaluation of certain factual information submitted by Thai I-Mei.” Id. at 2.
According to Thai I-Mei, the recalculated constructed value profit rate is “reasonable, supported
by substantial evidence on the record, and in accordance with this Court’s previous decisions.”
Id. at 2-3. Thai I-Mei urges the court to affirm the Second Remand Redetermination. Id. at 1, 3.
In addition to urging affirmance of the Second Remand Redetermination, plaintiff
requests that the court specify in its order that Commerce is to (1) revoke the antidumping duty
order as to Thai I-Mei ab initio; (2) instruct United States Customs and Border Protection to lift
the suspension on all of Thai I-Mei’s unliquidated entries made since August 4, 2004, the date of
the preliminary less-than-fair-value determination, and liquidate the entries without regard to
antidumping duties with appropriate refunds and interest; and (3) terminate all antidumping duty
administrative reviews of Thai I-Mei under the antidumping duty order. Id. at 11; Notice of
Prelim. Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination,
and Negative Critical Circumstances Determination: Certain Frozen and Canned Warmwater
Shrimp From Thailand, 69 Fed. Reg. 47,100 (Aug. 4, 2004). Thai I-Mei argues that “[i]n this
case, all entries of subject merchandise made on or after August 4, 2004, the date of the
preliminary determination of sales at less than fair value, must be liquidated without regard to
antidumping duties.” Pl.’s Comments 11. According to Thai I-Mei, the court should specify
these obligations in an order “to avoid any misunderstanding or need to return to this Court for
further enforcement of its judgment.” Id.Court No. 05-00197 Page 4
Defendant timely submitted its reply to plaintiff’s comments on May 20, 2009, in which
it objected to plaintiff’s request that the court specify the various obligations. Def.’s Resp. to
Thai-I-Mei’s Remand Comments 2-4. Defendant maintains that a court order is unnecessary
because the statute and regulations govern the Department’s actions upon the exhaustion of all
appeals and an entry of final and conclusive judgment. Id. at 2-3. Defendant states that “upon a
final and conclusive judgment, Commerce will comply with its statutory and regulatory
requirement to exclude Thai I-Mei from the order and terminate suspension of its entries.” Id.
at 3. Defendant interprets Thai I-Mei’s request as akin to a writ of mandamus and argues that
mandamus is inappropriate for various reasons. Id. Defendant submits that plaintiff has an
adequate remedy under the statute and regulations governing the matter, that Thai I-Mei does not
have an indisputable right to the issuance of a writ of mandamus, and that there is no basis from
which to conclude that the United States will not follow the law. Id. at 3-4.
The court does not construe plaintiff’s request as a motion or application for a writ of
mandamus. Nevertheless, the court concludes that an order or judgment containing the various
directives that plaintiff advocates is unnecessary and unwarranted in this case. The disposition of
this case requires a judgment that affirms the Second Remand Redetermination, which is the
determination that Commerce issued in these proceedings and that is now before the court. The
judgment the court is about to enter will not become final until all appeals, or opportunities for
appeal, have been exhausted. Any consequences of the de minimis margin determination that
Commerce assigned to Thai I-Mei that ensue at that time, including possible revocation of the
antidumping duty order as to Thai I-Mei, will be governed by various statutory provisions,
including, but not limited to, 19 U.S.C. §§ 1516a(c) and (e), 1673d(a)(4) and (c), and
Court No. 05-00197 Page 5
1673e(a)(1). See 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(c), (e) (2006) (governing liquidation of entries during and
after judicial review of antidumping duty determinations); id. § 1673d(a)(4) (governing final
determinations and referencing § 1673b(b)(3) with respect to the effect of a de minimis margin);
id. § 1673d(c) (governing the effect of final determinations); id. § 1673e(a)(1) (2006) (governing
the assessment of duties). The future application of the various statutory provisions to Thai I-
Mei’s unliquidated entries is not affected by any issue or controversy of which the court is aware.
The court has no basis to conclude that the Department will act otherwise than in accordance
with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
For the foregoing reasons, the court concludes that it will suffice for the court to enter a
judgment that affirms the Second Remand Redetermination and provides that all entries of
merchandise that are affected by the Second Remand Redetermination shall be liquidated in
accordance with the final court decision in this action.
/s/ Timothy C. Stanceu
Timothy C. Stanceu
Judge
Dated: June 24, 2009
New York, New York