On December 4, 2025, Ceratizit USA LLC agreed to pay $54.4 million to resolve False Claims Act (“FCA”) allegations tied to the evasion of customs duties on tungsten carbide products imported from China, concluding approximately three years of litigation. The 2022 qui tam filing by the relator/plaintiff alleged that Ceratizit evaded duties and violated country-of-origin marking rules applicable to tungsten carbide rods imported into the United States. This settlement stems from a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), through the United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”). The relator/plaintiff will receive approximately $9,750,000 of the settlement proceeds.
The complaint further alleged that from August 2020 through March 2024, Ceratizit misrepresented the country of origin of Chinese-manufactured tungsten carbide products, including by trans-shipping goods through Taiwan and declaring Taiwan as the origin to avoid Section 301 tariffs applicable to goods of Chinese origin. The settlement also resolves allegations that from May 2015 through March 2024, the company misclassified tungsten carbide products under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (“HTS”) to reduce duties, and that, from May 2019 to March 2024, certain imported products were not properly marked with country of origin, leading to unpaid duties before distribution in the United States.
As we noted in our December 8, 2025...
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