Collapse to view only § 356.25 - Witnesses.

§ 356.12 - Sanctions for violation of a protective order or disclosure undertaking.

(a) A person, other than a person exempted from this part by the provisions of section 777f(f)(4) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1677f(f)(4)), determined under this part to have violated a protective order or a disclosure undertaking may be subjected to any or all or the following sanctions:

(1) Liable to the United States for a civil penalty not to exceed $100,000 for each violation;

(2) Barred from appearing before the Department to represent another for a designated time period from the date of publication in an official publication of a notice that a violation has been determined to exist;

(3) Denied access to proprietary information for a designated time period from the date of publication in an official publication of a notice that a violation has been determined to exist;

(4) Other appropriate administrative sanctions, including striking from the record of the panel review any information or argument submitted by, or on behalf of, the violating party or the party represented by the violating party; terminating any proceeding then in progress; or revoking any order then in effect; and

(5) Required to destroy and certify to the Department the destruction of all material previously provided by the investigating authority, and all other materials containing the proprietary information, such as briefs, notes, or charts based on any such information received under a protective order or a disclosure undertaking.

(b)(1) The firm of which a person determined to have violated a protective order or a disclosure undertaking is a partner, associate, or employee; any partner, associate, employer, or employee of such person; and any person represented by such person may be barred from appearing before the Department for a designated time period from the date of publication in an official publication of notice that a violation has been determined to exist or may be subjected to the sanctions set forth in paragraph (a) of this section, as appropriate.

(2) Each person against whom sanctions are proposed under paragraph (b)(1) of this section is entitled to all the administrative rights set forth in this subpart separately and apart from rights provided to a person subject to sanctions under paragraph (a) of this section, including the right to a charging letter, right to representation, and right to a hearing, but subject to joinder or consolidation by the administrative law judge under § 356.23(b).

[59 FR 229, Jan. 3, 1994, as amended at 86 FR 70052, Dec. 9, 2021]

§ 356.13 - Suspension of rules.

Upon request by the Deputy Under Secretary, a charged or affected party, or the APO Sanctions Board, the administrative law judge may modify or waive any rule in this subpart upon determining that no party will be unduly prejudiced and the ends of justice will thereby be served and upon notice to all parties.

§ 356.14 - Report of violation and investigation.

(a) An employee of the Department or any other person who has information indicating that the terms of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking have been violated will provide the information to a Director or the Chief Counsel.

(b) Upon receiving information which indicates that a person may have violated the terms of a protective order or an undertaking, the Director will conduct an investigation concerning whether there was a violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking, and who was responsible for the violation, if any. For purposes of this subpart, the Director will be supervised by the Deputy Under Secretary with guidance from the Chief Counsel. The Director will conduct an investigation only if the information is received within 30 days after the alleged violation occurred or, as determined by the Director, could have been discovered through the exercise of reasonable and ordinary care.

(c) The Director will provide a report of the investigation to the Deputy Under Secretary, after review by the Chief Counsel, no later than 180 days after receiving information concerning a violation. Upon the Director's request, and if extraordinary circumstances exist, the Deputy Under Secretary may grant the Director up to an additional 180 days to conduct the investigation and submit the report.

(d) The following examples of actions that constitute violations of an administrative protective order shall serve as guidelines to each person subject to a protective order. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list. Evidence that one of the acts described in the guidelines has been committed, however, shall be considered by the Director as reasonable cause to believe a person has violated a protective order within the meaning of § 356.15.

(1) Disclosure of proprietary information to any person not granted access to that information by protective order, including an official of the Department or member of the Secretariat staff not directly involved with the panel review pursuant to which the proprietary information was released, an employee of any other United States, foreign government or international agency, or a member of the United States Congress, the Canadian Parliament, or the Mexican Congress.

(2) Failure to follow the detailed procedures outlined in the protective order for safeguarding proprietary information, including requiring all employees who obtain access to proprietary information (under the terms of a protective order granted their employer) to sign and date a copy of that protective order.

(3) Loss of proprietary information.

(4) Failure to destroy and certify to the Department the destruction of all copies of the original documents and all notes, memoranda, and submissions containing proprietary information at the close of the proceeding for which the data were obtained by burning or shredding of the documents or by erasing electronic memory, computer disk, or tape memory, as set forth in the protective order.

(5) Failure to delete proprietary information from the public version of a brief or other correspondence filed with the Secretariat.

(6) Disclosure of proprietary information during a public hearing.

(e) Each day of a continuing violation shall constitute a separate violation.

[59 FR 229, Jan. 3, 1994, as amended at 86 FR 70052, Dec. 9, 2021]

§ 356.15 - Initiation of proceedings.

(a) If the Deputy Under Secretary concludes, after an investigation and report by the Director under § 356.14(c) and consultation with the Chief Counsel, that there is reasonable cause to believe that a person has violated a protective order or a disclosure undertaking and that sanctions are appropriate for the violation, the Deputy Under Secretary will, at the Deputy Under Secretary's discretion, either initiate a proceeding under this subpart by issuing a charging letter as set forth in § 356.16 or request that the authorized agency of the involved FTA country initiate a proceeding by issuing a request to charge as set forth in § 356.17. In determining whether sanctions are appropriate and, if so, what sanctions to impose, the Deputy Under Secretary will consider the nature of the violation, the resulting harm, and other relevant circumstances of the case. The Deputy Under Secretary will decide whether to initiate a proceeding no later than 60 days after receiving a report of the investigation.

(b) If the Department receives a request to charge from an authorized agency of a FTA country, the Deputy Under Secretary will promptly initiate proceedings under this part by issuing a charging letter as set forth in § 356.16.

§ 356.16 - Charging letter.

(a) Contents of letter. The Deputy Under Secretary will initiate proceedings by issuing a charging letter to each charged party and affected party which includes:

(1) A statement of the allegation that a protective order or a disclosure undertaking has been violated and the basis thereof;

(2) A statement of the proposed sanctions;

(3) A statement that the charged or affected party is entitled to review the documents or other physical evidence upon which the charge is based and the method for requesting access to, or copies of, such documents;

(4) A statement that the charged or affected party is entitled to a hearing before an administrative law judge if requested within 30 days of the date of service of the charging letter and the procedure for requesting a hearing, including the name, address, and telephone number of the person to contact if there are further questions;

(5) A statement that the charged or affected party has a right, if a hearing is not requested, to submit documentary evidence to the Deputy Under Secretary and an explanation of the method for submitting evidence and the date by which it must be received; and

(6) A statement that the charged or affected party has a right to retain counsel at the party's own expense for purposes of representation.

(b) Settlement and amendment of the charging letter. The Deputy Under Secretary may amend, supplement, or withdraw the charging letter at any time with the approval of an administrative law judge if the interests of justice would thereby be served. If a hearing has not been requested, the Deputy Under Secretary will ask the Under Secretary to appoint an administrative law judge to make this determination. If a charging letter is withdrawn after a request for a hearing, the administrative law judge will determine whether the withdrawal will bar the Deputy Under Secretary from seeking sanctions at a later date for the same alleged violation. If there has been no request for a hearing, or if supporting information has not been submitted under § 356.28, the withdrawal will not bar future actions on the same alleged violation. The Deputy Under Secretary and a charged or affected party may settle a charge brought under this subpart by mutual agreement at any time after service of the charging letter; approval of the administrative law judge or the APO Sanctions Board is not necessary.

(c) Service of charging letter on a resident of the United States. (1) Service of a charging letter on a United States resident will be made by:

(i) Mailing a copy by registered or certified mail addressed to the charged or affected party at the party's last known address;

(ii) Leaving a copy with the charged or affected party or with an officer, a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service for the party; or

(iii) Leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion who resides at the party's last known dwelling.

(2) Service made in the manner described in paragraph (c)(1) (ii) or (iii) of this section shall be evidenced by a certificate of service signed by the person making such service, stating the method of service and the identity of the person with whom the charging letter was left.

(d) Service of charging letter on a non-resident. If applicable laws or intergovernmental agreements or understandings make the methods of service set forth in paragraph (c) of this section inappropriate or ineffective, service of the charging letter on a person who is not a resident of the United States may be made by any method that is permitted by the country in which the person resides and that, in the opinion of the Deputy Under Secretary, satisfies due process requirements under United States law with respect to notice in administrative proceedings.

§ 356.17 - Request to charge.

Upon deciding to initiate a proceeding pursuant to § 356.15, the Deputy Under Secretary will request the authorized agency of the involved FTA country to initiate a proceeding for imposing sanctions for violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking by issuing a letter of request to charge that includes a statement of the allegation that a protective order or a disclosure undertaking has been violated and the basis thereof.

§ 356.18 - Interim sanctions.

(a) If the Deputy Under Secretary concludes, after issuing a charging letter under § 356.16 and before a final decision is rendered, that interim sanctions are necessary to protect the interests of the Department, an authorized agency of the involved FTA country, or others, including the protection of proprietary information, the Deputy Under Secretary may petition an administrative law judge to impose such sanctions.

(b) The administrative law judge may impose interim sanctions against a person upon determining that:

(1) There is probable cause to believe that there was a violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking and the Department is likely to prevail in obtaining sanctions under this subpart;

(2) The Department, authorized agency of the involved FTA country, or others are likely to suffer irreparable harm if the interim sanctions are not imposed; and

(3) The interim sanctions are a reasonable means for protecting the rights of the Department, authorized agency of the involved FTA country, or others while preserving to the greatest extent possible the rights of the person against whom the interim sanctions are proposed.

(c) Interim sanctions which may be imposed include any sanctions that are necessary to protect the rights of the Department, authorized agency of the involved FTA country, or others, including, but not limited to:

(1) Denying a person further access to proprietary information;

(2) Barring a person from representing another person before the Department;

(3) Barring a person from appearing before the Department; and

(4) Requiring the person to destroy and certify to the Department the destruction of all material previously provided by the Department or the investigating authority of the involved FTA country, and all other materials containing the proprietary information, such as briefs, notes, or charts based on any such information received under a protective order or disclosure undertaking.

(d) The Deputy Under Secretary will notify the person against whom interim sanctions are sought of the request for interim sanctions and provide to that person the material submitted to the administrative law judge to support the request. The notice will include a reference to the procedures of this section.

(e) A person against whom interim sanctions are proposed has a right to oppose the request through submission of material to the administrative law judge. The administrative law judge has discretion to permit oral presentations and to allow further submissions.

(f) The administrative law judge will notify the parties of the decision on interim sanctions and the basis therefor within five days of the conclusion of oral presentations or the date of final written submissions.

(g) If interim sanctions have been imposed, the investigation and any proceedings under this subpart will be conducted on an expedited basis.

(h) An order imposing interim sanctions may be revoked at any time by the administrative law judge and expires automatically upon the issuance of a final order.

(i) The administrative law judge may reconsider imposition of interim sanctions on the basis of new and material evidence or other good cause shown. The Deputy Under Secretary or a person against whom interim sanctions have been imposed may appeal a decision on interim sanctions to the APO Sanctions Board, if such an appeal is certified by the administrative law judge as necessary to prevent undue harm to the Department or authorized agency of the involved FTA country, a person against whom interim sanctions have been imposed or others, or is otherwise in the interests of justice. Interim sanctions which have been imposed remain in effect while an appeal is pending, unless the administrative law judge determines otherwise.

(j) The Deputy Under Secretary may request an administrative law judge to impose emergency interim sanctions to preserve the status quo. Emergency interim sanctions may last no longer than 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. The person against whom such emergency interim sanctions are proposed need not be given prior notice or an opportunity to oppose the request for sanctions. The administrative law judge may impose emergency interim sanctions upon determining that the Department or authorized agency of the involved FTA country is, or others are, likely to suffer irreparable harm if such sanctions are not imposed and that the interests of justice would thereby be served. The administrative law judge will promptly notify a person against whom emergency sanctions have been imposed of the sanctions and their duration.

(k) If a hearing has not been requested, the Deputy Under Secretary will request that the Under Secretary appoint an administrative law judge for making determinations under this section.

(l) The Deputy Under Secretary will notify the Secretariat concerning the imposition or revocation of interim sanctions or emergency interim sanctions.

[59 FR 229, Jan. 3, 1994, as amended at 86 FR 70052, Dec. 9, 2021]

§ 356.19 - Request for a hearing.

(a) Any party may request a hearing by submitting a written request to the Under Secretary within 30 days after the date of service of the charging letter. However, the Deputy Under Secretary may request a hearing only if the interests of justice would thereby be served.

(b) Upon timely receipt of a request for a hearing, the Under Secretary will appoint an administrative law judge to conduct the hearing and render an initial decision.

§ 356.20 - Discovery.

(a) Voluntary discovery. All parties are encouraged to engage in voluntary discovery procedures regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter of the pending sanctions proceeding.

(b) Limitations on discovery. The administrative law judge shall place such limits upon the kind or amount of discovery to be had or the period of time during which discovery may be carried out as shall be consistent with the time limitations set forth in this Part.

(c) Interrogatories and requests for admissions or production of documents. A party may serve on any other party interrogatories, requests for admissions, or requests for production of documents for inspection and copying, and the party may then apply to the administrative law judge for such enforcement or protective order as that party deems warranted concerning such discovery. The party will serve a discovery request at least 20 days before the scheduled date of a hearing, if a hearing has been requested and scheduled, unless the administrative law judge specifies a shorter time period. Copies of interrogatories, requests for admissions, and requests for production of documents and responses thereto will be served on all parties. Matters of fact or law of which admission is requested will be deemed admitted unless, within a period designated in the request (at least 10 days after the date of service of the request, or within such further time as the administrative law judge may allow), the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the requesting party a sworn statement either admitting or denying specifically the matters of which admission is requested or setting forth in detail the reasons why the party cannot truthfully either admit or deny such matters.

(d) Depositions. Upon application of a party and for good cause shown, the administrative law judge may order the taking of the testimony of any person who is a party, or under the control or authority of a party, by deposition and the production of specified documents or materials by the person at the deposition. The application shall state the purpose of the deposition and shall set forth the facts sought to be established through the deposition.

(e) Supplementation of responses. A party who has responded to a request for discovery with a response that was complete when made is under no duty to supplement the party's response to include information thereafter acquired, except as follows:

(1) A party is under a duty to seasonably supplement the party's response with respect to any question directly addressed to:

(i) The identity and location of persons having knowledge of discoverable matters; and

(ii) The identity of each person expected to be called as an expert witness at a hearing, the subject matter on which the witness is expected to testify, and the substance of the testimony.

(2) A party is under a duty to seasonably amend a prior response if the party obtains information upon the basis of which the party:

(i) Knows the response was incorrect when made; or

(ii) Knows that the response, though correct when made, is no longer true, and the circumstances are such that a failure to amend the response is in substance a knowing concealment.

(3) A duty to supplement responses may be imposed by order of the administrative law judge, agreement of the parties, or at any time prior to a hearing through new requests for supplementation of prior responses.

(f) Enforcement. The administrative law judge may order a party to answer designated questions, to produce specified documents or items, or to take any other action in response to a proper discovery request. If a party does not comply with such an order, the administrative law judge may make any determination or enter any order in the proceedings as the administrative law judge deems reasonable and appropriate. The administrative law judge may strike related charges or defenses in whole or in part, or may take particular facts relating to the discovery request to which the party failed or refused to respond as being established for purpose of the proceeding in accordance with the contentions of the party seeking discovery. In issuing a discovery order, the administrative law judge will consider the necessity to protect proprietary information and will not order the release of information in circumstances where it is reasonable to conclude that such release will lead to unauthorized dissemination of such information.

§ 356.21 - Subpoenas.

(a) Application for issuance of a subpoena. An application for issuance of a subpoena requiring a person to appear and depose or testify at the taking of a deposition or at a hearing shall be made to the administrative law judge. An application for issuance of a subpoena requiring a person to appear and depose or testify and to produce specified documents, papers, books, or other physical exhibits at the taking of a deposition, at a prehearing conference, at a hearing, or under any other circumstances, shall be made in writing to the administrative law judge and shall specify the material to be produced as precisely as possible, showing the general relevancy of the material and the reasonableness of the scope of the subpoena.

(b) Use of subpoena for discovery. Subpoenas may be used by any party for purposes of discovery or for obtaining documents, papers, books, or other physical exhibits for use in evidence, or for both purposes. When used for discovery purposes, a subpoena may require a person to produce and permit the inspection and copying of nonprivileged documents, papers, books, or other physical exhibits which constitute or contain evidence relevant to the subject matter involved and which are in the possession, custody, or control of such person.

(c) Application for subpoenas for nonparty department records or personnel or for records or personnel of other Government agencies. (1) An application for issuance of a subpoena requiring the production of nonparty documents, papers, books, physical exhibits, or other material in the records of the Department, or requiring the appearance of an official or employee of the Department, or requiring the production of records or personnel of other Government agencies shall specify as precisely as possible the material to be produced, the nature of the information to be disclosed, or the expected testimony of the official or employee, and shall contain a statement showing the general relevancy of the material, information, or testimony and the reasonableness of the scope of the application, together with a showing that such material, information, or testimony or their substantial equivalent could not be obtained without undue hardship by alternative means.

(2) Such applications shall be ruled upon by the administrative law judge. To the extent that the motion is granted, the administrative law judge shall provide such terms and conditions for the production of the material, the disclosure of the information, or the appearance of the official or employee as may appear necessary and appropriate for the protection of the public interest.

(3) No application for a subpoena for production of documents grounded upon the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) shall be entertained by the administrative law judge.

(d) Motion to limit or quash. Any motion to limit or quash a subpoena shall be filed within 10 days after service thereof, or within such other time as the administrative law judge may allow.

(e) Ex parte rulings on applications for subpoenas. Applications for the issuance of subpoenas pursuant to this section may be made ex parte, and, if so made, such applications and rulings thereon shall remain ex parte unless otherwise ordered by the administrative law judge.

(f) Role of the Under Secretary. If a hearing has not been requested, the party seeking enforcement will ask the Under Secretary to appoint an administrative law judge to rule on applications for issuance of a subpoena under this section.

§ 356.22 - Prehearing conference.

(a)(1) If an administrative hearing has been requested, the administrative law judge will direct the parties to attend a prehearing conference to consider:

(i) Simplification of issues;

(ii) Obtaining stipulations of fact and of documents to avoid unnecessary proof;

(iii) Settlement of the matter;

(iv) Discovery; and

(v) Such other matters as may expedite the disposition of the proceedings.

(2) Any relevant and significant stipulations or admissions will be incorporated into the initial decision.

(b) If a prehearing conference is impractical, the administrative law judge will direct the parties to correspond with each other or to confer by telephone or otherwise to achieve the purposes of such a conference.

§ 356.23 - Hearing.

(a) Scheduling of hearing. The administrative law judge will schedule the hearing at a reasonable time, date, and place, which will be in Washington, DC, unless the administrative law judge determines otherwise based upon good cause shown, that another location would better serve the interests of justice. In setting the date, the administrative law judge will give due regard to the need for the parties adequately to prepare for the hearing and the importance of expeditiously resolving the matter.

(b) Joinder or consolidation. The administrative law judge may order joinder or consolidation if sanctions are proposed against more than one party or if violations of more than one protective order or disclosure undertaking are alleged if to do so would expedite processing of the cases and not adversely affect the interests of the parties.

(c) Hearing procedures. Hearings will be conducted in a fair and impartial manner by the administrative law judge, who may limit attendance at any hearing or portion thereof if necessary or advisable in order to protect proprietary information from improper disclosure. The rules of evidence prevailing in courts of law shall not apply, and all evidentiary material the administrative law judge determines to be relevant and material to the proceeding and not unduly repetitious may be received into evidence and given appropriate weight. The administrative law judge may make such orders and determinations regarding the admissibility of evidence, conduct of examination and cross-examination, and similar matters as are necessary or appropriate to ensure orderliness in the proceedings. The administrative law judge will ensure that a record of the hearing will be taken by reporter or by electronic recording, and will order such part of the record to be sealed as is necessary to protect proprietary information.

(d) Rights of parties. At a hearing each party shall have the right to:

(1) Introduce and examine witnesses and submit physical evidence;

(2) Confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses;

(3) Present oral argument; and

(4) Receive a transcript or recording of the proceedings, upon request, subject to the administrative law judge's orders regarding sealing the record.

(e) Representation. Each charged or affected party has a right to represent himself or herself or to retain private counsel for that purpose. The Chief Counsel will represent the Department, unless the General Counsel of the Department determines otherwise. The administrative law judge may disallow a representative if such representation constitutes a conflict of interest or is otherwise not in the interests of justice and may debar a representative for contumacious conduct relating to the proceedings.

(f) Ex parte communications. The parties and their representatives may not make any ex parte communications to the administrative law judge concerning the merits of the allegations or any matters at issue, except as provided in § 356.18(j) regarding emergency interim sanctions.

§ 356.24 - Proceeding without a hearing.

If no party has requested a hearing, the Deputy Under Secretary, within 40 days after the date of service of a charging letter, will submit for inclusion into the record and provide each charged or affected party information supporting the allegations in the charging letter. Each charged or affected party has the right to file a written response to the information and supporting documentation within 30 days after the date of service of the information provided by the Deputy Under Secretary unless the Deputy Under Secretary alters the time period for good cause. The Deputy Under Secretary may allow the parties to submit further information and argument.

§ 356.25 - Witnesses.

Witnesses summoned before the Department shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid witnesses in the courts of the United States.

§ 356.26 - Initial decision.

(a) Initial decision. The administrative law judge, if a hearing was requested, or the Deputy Under Secretary will submit an initial decision to the APO Sanctions Board, providing copies to the parties. The administrative law judge or the Deputy Under Secretary will ordinarily issue the decision within 20 days of the conclusion of the hearing, if one was held, or within 15 days of the date of service of final written submissions. The initial decision will be based solely on evidence received into the record and the pleadings of the parties.

(b) Findings and conclusions. The initial decision will state findings and conclusions as to whether a person has violated a protective order or a disclosure undertaking; the basis for those findings and conclusions; and whether the sanctions proposed in the charging letter, or lesser included sanctions, should be imposed against the charged or affected party. The administrative law judge or the Deputy Under Secretary may impose sanctions only upon determining that the preponderance of the evidence supports a finding of violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking and that the sanctions are warranted against the charged or affected party.

(c) Finality of decision. If the APO Sanctions Board has not issued a decision on the matter within 60 days after issuance of the initial decision, the initial decision becomes the final decision of the Department.

§ 356.27 - Final decision.

(a) APO Sanctions Board. Upon request of a party, the initial decision will be reviewed by the members of the APO Sanctions Board. The Board consists of the Under Secretary for International Trade, who shall serve as Chairperson, the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, and the General Counsel.

(b) Comments on initial decision. Within 30 days after issuance of the initial decision, a party may submit written comments to the APO Sanctions Board on the initial decision, which the Board will consider when reviewing the initial decision. The parties have no right to an oral presentation, although the Board may allow oral argument in its discretion.

(c) Final decision by the APO Sanctions Board. Within 60 days but not sooner than 30 days after issuance of an initial decision, the APO Sanctions Board may issue a final decision which adopts the initial decision in its entirety; differs in whole or in part from the initial decision, including the imposition of lesser included sanctions; or remands the matter to the administrative law judge or the Deputy Under Secretary for further consideration. The only sanctions that the Board can impose are those sanctions proposed in the charging letter or lesser included sanctions.

(d)

(d) Contents of final decision. If the final decision of the APO Sanctions Board does not remand the matter and differs from the initial decision, it will state findings and conclusions which differ from the initial decision, if any, the basis for those findings and conclusions, and the sanctions which are to be imposed, to the extent they differ from the sanctions in the initial decision.

(e) Public notice of sanctions. If the final decision is that there has been a violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking and that sanctions are to be imposed, notice of the decision will be published in the Federal Register and forwarded to the United States section of the Secretariat. Such publication will be no sooner than 30 days after issuance of a final decision or after a motion to reconsider has been denied, if such a motion was filed. If the final decision is made in a proceeding based upon a request to charge by an authorized agency of an FTA country, the decision will be forwarded to the Secretariat of the involved FTA country for transmittal to the authorized agency of the FTA country for publication in the official publication or other appropriate action. The Deputy Under Secretary will also provide such information to the ethics panel or other disciplinary body of the appropriate bar associations or other professional associations whenever the Deputy Under Secretary subjects a charged or affected party to a sanction under § 356.12(a)(2) and to any Federal agency likely to have an interest in the matter and will cooperate in any disciplinary actions by any association or agency.

[59 FR 229, Jan. 3, 1994, as amended at 86 FR 70051, Dec. 9, 2021]

§ 356.28 - Reconsideration.

Any party may file a motion for reconsideration with the APO Sanctions Board. The party must state with particularity the grounds for the motion, including any facts or points of law which the party claims the APO Sanctions Board has overlooked or misapplied. The party may file the motion within 30 days of the issuance of the final decision or the adoption of the initial decision as the final decision, except that if the motion is based on the discovery of new and material evidence which was not known, and could not reasonably have been discovered through due diligence prior to the close of the record, the party shall file the motion within 15 days of the discovery of the new and material evidence. The party shall provide a copy of the motion to all other parties. Opposing parties may file a response within 30 days of the date of service of the motion. The response shall be considered as part of the record. The parties have no right to an oral presentation on a motion for reconsideration, but the Board may permit oral argument at its discretion. If the motion to reconsider is granted, the Board will review the record and affirm, modify, or reverse the original decision or remand the matter for further consideration to an administrative law judge or the Deputy Under Secretary, as warranted.

§ 356.29 - Confidentiality.

(a) All proceedings involving allegations of a violation of a protective order or a disclosure undertaking shall be kept confidential until such time as the Department makes a final decision under these regulations, which is no longer subject to reconsideration, imposing a sanction.

(b) The charged party or counsel for the charged party will be, to the extent possible, granted access to proprietary information in these proceedings, as necessary, under administrative protective order, consistent with the provisions of § 356.10.

§ 356.30 - Sanctions for violations of a protective order for privileged information.

The provisions of this subpart shall apply to persons who are alleged to have violated a Protective Order for Privileged Information.