Slip Op. 11-64
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
GROBEST & I-MEI INDUSTRIAL (VIETNAM)
CO., LTD.,
Plaintiff,
v.
Before: Pogue, Chief Judge
UNITED STATES,
Consol. Court No. 10-002381
Defendant,
- and -
AD HOC SHRIMP TRADE ACTION COMMITTEE
and AMERICAN SHRIMP PROCESSORS
ASSOCIATION,
Defendant-Intervenors.
OPINION AND ORDER
[Defendant’s partial motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim
upon which relief may be granted is denied.]
Dated: June 7, 2011
Thompson Hine LLP (Matthew R. Nicely and David S. Christy, Jr.)
and Trade Pacific PLLC (Robert G. Gosselink and Jonathan M. Freed) for
Plaintiff and Consolidated Defendant-Intervenor Grobest & I-Mei
Industrial Co. Ltd.; Consolidated Plaintiffs Nha Trang Fisheries Joint
Stock Co., Bac Liu Fisheries Joint Stock Co., Camau Frozen Seafood
Processing Import Export Corp., Ca Mau Seafood Joint Stock Co.,
Cadovimex Seafood Import-Export and Processing Joint Stock Co.,
Cafatex Fishery Joint Stock Co., Cantho Import Export Fishery Ltd.
Co., C.P. Vietnam Livestock Corp., Cuulong Seaproducts Co., Danang
Seaproducts Import Export Corp., Investment Commerce Fisheries Corp.,
Minh Hai Export Frozen Seafood Processing Joint Stock Co., Minh Hai
Join Stock Seafood Processing Co., Ngoc Sing Private Enterprise, Phu
Cuong Seafood Processing & Import-Export Co. Ltd., Phuong Nam Co.
Ltd., Sao Ta Foods Joint Stock Co., Soc Trang Seafood Joint Stock Co.,
Thuan Phuoc Seafoods and Trading Corp., UTXI Aquatic Products
Processing Corp., and Viet Foods Co. Ltd.; and Consolidated Plaintiffs
and Consolidated Defendant-Intervenors Cam Ranh Seafoods Processing
Enterprise Co., Contessa Premium Foods Inc., H&N Foods International,
Minh Phu Seafood Corp., Minh Phat Seafood Co. Ltd., Minh Qui Seafood
1
This action is consolidated with Court Nos. 10-00253, 10-
00257, 10-00265, 10-00272, and 10-00273.
Consol. Court No. 10-000238 Page 2
Co. Ltd., and Nha Trang Seaproduct Co.
DeKieffer & Horgan (John J. Kenkel and James K. Horgan), Thompson
Hine LLP (Matthew R. Nicely), and Trade Pacific PLLC (Jonathan M.
Freed) for Consolidated Plaintiff Viet Hai Seafood Co., Ltd.
White & Case LLP (Walter C. Spak, Adams C. Lee and Jay C.
Campbell), Thompson Hine LLP (Matthew R. Nicely), and Trade Pacific
PLLC (Jonathan M. Freed) for Consolidated Plaintiff Amanda Foods
(Vietnam) Ltd.
Tony West, Assistant Attorney General; Jeanne E. Davidson,
Director; Patricia M. McCarthy, Assistant Director, Commercial
Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice
(Joshua E. Kurland), and, of counsel, Jonathan M. Zielinski, Attorney,
Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Administration, Department of
Commerce, for the Defendant.
Picard Kentz & Rowe LLP (Andrew W. Kentz, Jordan C. Kahn,
Nathaniel M. Rickard, and Kevin M. O’Connor) for Defendant-Intervenor
Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Action Committee.
Stewart and Stewart (Geert M. De Prest and Elizabeth J. Drake)
and Leake & Andersson LLP (Edward T. Hayes) for Defendant-Intervenor
American Shrimp Processors Association.
Pogue, Chief Judge: The complaint in this consolidated action
challenges certain determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce
(“the Department”) during the fourth administrative review of the
antidumping duty order covering frozen warmwater shrimp from the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.2 Before the court is Defendant’s motion
to dismiss, in part, for failure to state a claim upon which relief
may be granted.
Specifically, Defendant moves for dismissal of all counts
challenging the Department’s practice of setting to zero any negative
2
See Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp from the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam, 75 Fed. Reg. 61,122 (Dep’t Commerce Oct. 4,
2010) (amended final results of the antidumping duty
administrative review). The period of review was February 1,
2006 through January 31, 2007.
Consol. Court No. 10-000238 Page 3
dumping margins for sales for which the U.S. price exceeded the price
of like merchandise in the exporter’s home market (the “zeroing” of
all margins for non-dumped sales). The Department used “zeroing” in
this proceeding when calculating weighted average dumping margins.3
Contrary to Defendant’s motion, however, the challenged counts
raise legal claims. See Dongbu Steel Co. v. United States, 635 F.3d
1363, 1369-74 (Fed. Cir. 2011); SKF USA Inc. v. United States,
630 F.3d 1365, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2011). These claims will be
adjudicated on the basis of the relevant authority when the court
rules on Plaintiffs’ pending motion for judgment on the agency record.
Accordingly, Defendant’s motion to dismiss in part for failure to
state a claim upon which relief may be granted is DENIED.
It is SO ORDERED.
/s/ Donald C. Pogue
Donald C. Pogue, Chief Judge
Dated: June 7, 2011
New York, N.Y.
3
Mem. Supp. Def.’s Partial Mot. to Dismiss 1 (seeking
dismissal of Count Four of the complaint in Court No. 10-00238,
Count Three of the complaint in Court No. 10-00253, and Count
Three of the complaint in Court No. 10-00272).