The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Island Industries v. Sigma Corp., upheld a lower court jury determination that an importer of welded pipe fittings is liable for $8 million in unpaid antidumping duties under the False Claims Act (“FCA”). The penalty under the FCA is trebled totaling the liability to over $32 million for importer Sigma Corp.
FCA Enforcement May Increase In a Tariff Focused Trade Policy Regime
The first seven weeks of the second Trump Administration has revealed that tariffs are going to be a primary tool in the administration’s trade arsenal to address both domestic and foreign trade policy goals. What is critical to understand is that tariffs are only a viable tool if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) can