US Asks CIT to Compel Defendant to Update Answer to DOJ's Complaint
The U.S. asked the Court of International Trade on Sept. 26 to compel defendant Zhe “John” Liu, a steel hanger importer facing multiple duty evasion cases (see 2207220042, 2407310047 and 2407310047), to update his answer in one of those cases “to substantively respond” to the government’s complaint (United States v. Zhe “John” Liu, CIT # 23-00116).
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The government said it initially asked Liu’s attorney, David Craven, to fix the answer, informing him it would file a motion to compel with the trade court if he didn’t respond by Sept. 23.
Liu stated “throughout” his Nov. 17, 2023, answer that he couldn’t properly address the government’s allegations because DOJ had seized his records, the government said. But it returned all of his records in March 2025, it said.
“In short, while Mr. Liu’s November 17, 2023, answer in 23-116 was perhaps compliant with USCIT R. 8(c) when filed, by Mr. Liu’s own admission, it is noncompliant now,” it said.
Answers must deny or admit to every allegation and provide a plainly stated defense, it said. Liu’s answer doesn’t, it said.
It noted that it isn’t seeking the original responses stricken from the record. It's just asking for “Mr. Liu to apprise the plaintiff -- and this Court -- of the issues in dispute,” it said.