US, Importer Dismiss Customs Fraud Case on Knit Garments

The U.S. and importer Greenlight Organic, along with its owner Parambir Singh "Sonny" Aulakh, filed a joint stipulation of dismissal in the government's customs fraud suit against Greenlight and its owner. The dismissal comes after the parties filed a joint status report noting that a settlement was reached in the case (see 2408260014) (United States v. Greenlight Organic, CIT # 17-00031).

The U.S. filed the customs fraud suit in 2017 to address a misclassification scheme led by Greenlight. The government alleged that the company committed fraud when it claimed its Vietnam-origin knit garments were misclassified as woven garments, which undervalued the goods. The trade court said there was little agreement on the facts, moving the case to a trial (see 2302160067). The case was then stayed pending a parallel criminal case.