Opinion ID: 3053402
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Civil Penalty Action

Text: Customs issued Able Time several notices of civil penalty in February and March of 2004. Customs filed this civil penalty action pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1526(f) on April 15, 2004. Able Time filed a motion for summary judgment which the district court initially denied, concluding that jurors could reasonably return a verdict for the government that the watches bore a counterfeit mark. The district court subsequently issued sua sponte an order to show cause why it should not reconsider its decision. After further briefing, the district court granted Able Time’s motion for summary judgment, concluding as a matter of law that the imported watches could not be counterfeit because Tommy Hilfiger did not make watches at the time of the seizure. The government timely appealed.