COURT EASES BURDEN FOR FILING HARBOR FEE CHALLENGES
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has eased the burden for importers who want to dispute the constitutionality of harbor maintenance fees assessed on waterborne imports.
Reversing the Court of International Trade, the appeals court ruled that importers can bypass filing complaints with the U.S. Customs Service and file directly to the CIT.
The decision will lower legal costs for importers, who will avoid the time and expense associated with filing first before Customs.