A recent Ninth Circuit decision underscores why importers should be worried that they will be hit with a large government bill under the False Claims Act (FCA) to pay for newly raised duties imposed on imported products. The...more
7/9/2025
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Appeals ,
China ,
Customs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Judicial Authority ,
Jurisdiction ,
Penalties ,
Scienter ,
Tariffs
Last month, the Department of Justice put trade, customs, and tariff fraud squarely in the spotlight. This isn’t just another line item on the compliance checklist, it’s a loud-and-clear signal that import-related enforcement...more
6/10/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Customs ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
White Collar Crimes
Less than five months into the new administration, we have already seen more than 50 tariff proclamations. With new tariffs being proposed, imposed, revoked, suspended, and sometimes reimposed, it can be difficult for...more
6/5/2025
/ China ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Multinationals ,
Popular ,
Section 232 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration
One of the most common questions we get from clients is, “What is the future of the Trump administration’s tariff strategy?” With President Trump having issued over 50 tariff proclamations — a six-month sprint of more major...more
Our previous article on What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … Customs Enforcement and False Claims Act Risks (Part I) outlined how import-related risks have substantially increased given the combination of the...more
As detailed in Part I of our three-part series on Minimizing Customs Enforcement and False Claims Act Risks, the combination of the new high-tariff environment, the heightened ability of Customs (and the general public) to...more
4/25/2025
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Classification ,
Compliance ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Country of Origin ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Duty Free ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Misclassification ,
Misrepresentation ,
Penalties ,
Risk Management ,
Tariffs ,
Valuation
Share on Twitter Print Share by Email Share Back to top The recent announcement of a pause in the rollout of reciprocal tariffs has created some confusion — and some hope — for multinationals and importers around the world....more
4/14/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
China ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Mexico ,
Multinationals ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
On April 3, 2025, President Trump issued the full details of the automotive tariffs, including the exact Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheadings to which the automotive tariffs apply. This completed the implementation of...more
4/14/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Foreign Trade Zones ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
As detailed in our prior article on “What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … The Rising Risk of Customs False Claims Act Actions in the Trump Administration,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) is encouraging the...more
4/10/2025
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Multinationals ,
Penalties ,
Risk Management ,
Settlement ,
Tariffs
On April 2, 2025, President Trump implemented the steepest American tariffs in over a century. The implications for numerous multinational companies — including importers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers — will be...more
4/4/2025
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Automotive Industry ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Country of Origin ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Distributors ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Manufacturers ,
Multinationals ,
Retailers ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
In less than 100 days, the Trump administration has implemented a dizzying array of new tariffs, significantly increasing costs and complexity for U.S. importers. The administration is keenly aware that companies operating in...more
3/26/2025
/ China ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Statements ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Smuggling ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wire Fraud
On February 20, 2025, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Commercial Litigation Branch at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Michael Granston, emphasized using the False Claims Act (FCA) to address U.S. Customs &...more
3/7/2025
/ Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Globally Harmonized System ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Misclassification ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) ,
Whistleblowers
As reported in our prior article, “What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … The New Steel and Aluminum Tariffs (Part I),” President Trump signed two proclamations on February 10, 2025, imposing 25-percent tariffs...more
2/26/2025
/ Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Risk Management ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department
As an accompaniment to our “What Every Multinational Should Know” biweekly series, below find an update to our “Five Compliance Best Practices” series, which provides quick-hit advice for multinational companies to implement...more
As Trump seeks to raise U.S. tariffs (which currently tend to be among the lowest worldwide), manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other companies that frequently import (“importers”) must determine the best strategy...more
2/18/2025
/ China ,
Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
During his campaign, President Trump often stated that he would be implementing an “America First” international trade policy, which he said explicitly would include higher tariffs, potentially on imports from the entire...more
1/24/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Export Controls ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
National Security ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
USTR
As an accompaniment to our biweekly series on “What Every Multinational Company Should Know About” various international trade, enforcement, and compliance topics, below find an update to our series on compliance checks that...more
As an accompaniment to our biweekly series on “What Every Multinational Company Should Know About” various international trade, enforcement, and compliance topics, below find an update to our series on compliance checks that...more
The risks for international investments have sharply expanded in recent years. Identifying, managing, and mitigating investment risk, in the current regulatory environment, can be just as essential as managing risk in any...more
8/2/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
CFIUS ,
Compliance ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Due Diligence ,
ECCNs ,
Employee Training ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Imports ,
Mergers ,
Military Service Members ,
Multinationals ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) automotive sector must be prepared to navigate a new set of requirements that will likely reshape supply chains, impact costs, and alter the competitive dynamics within the...more
We have received a number of inquiries regarding the implications of the new solar panels antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations. With the ITC just issuing its affirmative preliminary determination, we...more
7/5/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Manufacturers ,
Multinationals ,
Solar Panels ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs
Regulators have sent numerous messages that companies who source from abroad need to subject their entire supply chain to extensive due diligence, based on state-of-the-art compliance measures to minimize supply chain risks....more
In our previous biweekly update, What Every Multinational Needs to Know About … The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Part I, we summarized the UFLPA requirements and the basic expectations that U.S. Customs and Border...more
2/1/2024
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Due Diligence ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Multinationals ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Transparency ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
We have received multiple requests to provide guidance regarding the critically important area of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Because of the recency of the UFLPA, which went into effect on June 21, 2021,...more
1/18/2024
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Due Diligence ,
Forced Labor ,
Goods or Services ,
Human Rights ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
Popular ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Restrictions ,
US Trade Policies ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
We have received several requests for a list of the compliance policies that make sense for every multinational company. So, as a follow-up to our earlier two posts providing “twelve steps to international compliance” (see...more
1/4/2024
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Books & Records ,
Code of Conduct ,
Compliance ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Copyright ,
Customs ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Document Retention Policies ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Ethics ,
Export Controls ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Forced Labor ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
Insider Trading ,
Internal Controls ,
Litigation Hold ,
Multinationals ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Social Media ,
Supply Chain ,
Trademarks ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)