The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Mexico (A-201-830) (here). The agency preliminarily calculated an AD duty rate of 72.95% for Deacero S.A. de C.V, and 12.38% for ArcelorMittal Las Truchas, S.A. de C.V. These new rates would take effect upon publication of the final results of this review, currently due in March. Cash deposit rates for all other exporters will not change.
The Commerce Department issued the final results of its countervailing duty administrative review on drawn stainless steel sinks from China (C-570-984) (here). For entries on or after Nov. 10, Commerce is setting a CV duty cash deposit rate of 9.83% for Guangdong Dongyuan Kitchenware Industrial Co., Ltd.. All other exporters of subject merchandise will continue to get the cash deposit rate set for them in the original investigation, and companies that have never been assigned an CV duty rate will get the all others rate. For importer assessment purposes, Dongyuan's rate will be 9.83% for subject merchandise entered April 10, 2013 through Dec. 31, 2013, and 3.91% for subject merchandise entered Aug. 6, 2012 through Dec. 3, 2012. Subject Merchandise entered Dec. 4, 2012 through April 9, 2013 is not liable for CV duties.
The Commerce Department issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on stainless steel sinks from China (A-570-983) (here). These final results will be used to set final assessments of AD duties on importers for subject merchandise from the exporters under review entered Oct 4, 2012 through March 31, 2014.
The Commerce Department is amending its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin from China (A-570-024) (here) in order to correct errors in a table included in its Oct. 15 notice (see 1510140013). According to Commerce, the table of AD rates for producers and exporters from China listed the wrong producer-exporter combinations. The corrected table is as follows:
A federal judge rejected a proposed $15.5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Comcast, saying it lacks "a reliable and administratively feasible mechanism" for figuring out who falls within the class definition. U.S. District Judge Anita Brody in Philadelphia Thursday denied a Comcast motion for certification of a settlement class and preliminary approval of class-action settlement. Comcast lacks records for most former subscribers, including any before 2010, and it needs a better model for screening out people who don't belong in the class than the one proposed, Brody said in her order. The multidistrict litigation is a combination of 24 civil actions against Comcast consolidated in 2009 and alleging the cable company wrongfully tied subscribing to its Premium Cable tier to rental of a Comcast set-top box. The proposed settlement would include all people who lived in and subscribed to Premium Cable in California, Washington or West Virginia in the class period or who subscribed to Premium Cable in any state during the class period and opted out of Comcast's arbitration clause and who paid Comcast a set-top box rental fee. The class period is Jan. 1, 2005, up to the point of the court's giving preliminary approval to a settlement agreement. While Comcast's proposed settlement includes a variety of ways for determining whether former subscribers fall within the class definition, such as use of canceled checks or old bills or credit card receipts, Brody said it was "implausible" that such evidence would show a person was both a Premium subscriber and had rented a set-top box. And relying on sworn statements alone has been previously rejected in a 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Brody said. Comcast didn't comment Friday.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Nov. 6 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on preserved mushrooms from China (A-570-851) (here). The agency preliminarily found all 52 companies under review were uncooperative, including Linyi City Kangfa Foodstuff Drinkable Co., Ltd., and tentatively assigned them to the China-wide entity with an AD rate of 308.33%.
The Commerce Department issued its final determinations in the antidumping duty investigations on melamine from China (A-570-020) and Trinidad and Tobago (A-274-806). The next step is for the International Trade Commission to make its final injury determination, currently scheduled for Dec. 14. If the ITC finds injury, Commerce will issue an AD duty order and duties will be made permanent. If the ITC finds no injury, the investigation will be terminated and all cash deposits will be refunded.
The Commerce Department issued its final affirmative countervailing duty determinations on melamine from China (C-570-021) (here) and Trinidad and Tobago (C-274-807) (here). Suspension of liquidation is currently not in effect for entries on or after Aug. 18, and Commerce will only require cash deposits of estimated CV duties on future entries if it issues a CV duty order.
The Commerce Department made preliminary affirmative countervailing duty determinations that corrosion resistant steel products from Italy (C-475-833) (here), India (C-533-864) (here), China (C-570-027) (here) and South Korea (C-580-879) (here) are being illegally subsidized. The agency will impose CV duty cash requirements on entries of subject merchandise from India beginning on Nov. 6, and from Italy, China and South Korea beginning on Aug. 8 or Nov. 6, depending on whether Commerce found "critical circumstances for each particular exporter.