Law firm Alston & Bird agreed to resolve a dispute with Ohio-based Mark One Wipes regarding the company's claims that the firm gave it negligent legal advice related to the labeling of hand-sanitizing wipes imports. Mark One launched its suit in February 2022, claiming that the faulty advice led to injury, including the costs of making, shipping and storing a "useless product," reputational harm and lost profits.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 7-13:
The following lawsuit was filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 31 - Aug. 6:
China criticized the recent additions by the U.S. of Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List (see 2308010030), saying the allegations against Chinese battery manufacturer Camel Group Co., Chinese spice manufacturer ChenGuang Biotech Group Co., Ltd. and subsidiary Chenguang Biotechnology Group Yanqi Co. Ltd. were an "enormous lie propagated by anti-China elements to snare China." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China will take "strong measures" to safeguard its interests.
Former CBP attorney Coraly Schreiber joined trade boutique firm Yormick Law as of counsel, Jon Yormick, the firm's founder, confirmed in an email. Schreiber most recently served as managing attorney at Diaz Trade Law in Miami, and before that worked for 19 years at CBP, including a one-year stint as branch chief for the Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures Division, according to her LinkedIn page,
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 24-30:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's recent ruling in Royal Brush Manufacturing v. U.S., which found that CBP violated importer Royal Brush's due process rights by not giving it access to business confidential information in an antidumping and countervailing duty evasion proceeding, "may have broader implications," including on forced labor issues, customs lawyer Lawrence Friedman said in a July 28 blog post. If the decision "applies generally, it may require that" CBP make its record fully available, including BCI, which would be an "interesting unintended consequence" of this Enforce and Protect Act case, Friedman said.
CBP violated importer Royal Brush Manufacturing's due process rights by failing to provide it access to business confidential information (BCI) in an antidumping and countervailing duty evasion proceeding, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said in a highly anticipated opinion on July 27.
New Hampshire-based furniture seller Yogibo will pay $217,832 to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by "failing to pay customs duties on imports from China," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced July 26. The case was brought by David Kohlenberger, a whistleblower and former senior logistics and warehouse manager for Yogibo from 2017 to 2021, who will receive 20% of the settlement.
A group of retail trade groups, led by the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative failed to adequately respond to comments when imposing its lists 3 and 4A Section 301 tariffs on China. Submitting an amicus brief at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the massive case against the duties, the retail representatives argued that USTR illegally relied on the president's discretion as a response to the comments, violating the Administrative Procedure Act (HMTX Industries, et al. v. U.S., Fed. Cir. # 23-1891).