View all text of Subpart C [§ 210.12 - § 210.14]
§ 210.14 - Amendments to pleadings and notice; supplemental submissions; counterclaims; severance and consolidation of investigations.
Amended complaints, exhibits, and supplements thereto, filed under this section shall be filed with the Secretary pursuant to § 210.4.
(a) Preinstitution amendments. The complaint may be amended at any time prior to the institution of the investigation. Any amendment that introduces an additional unfair act or additional respondent shall be in the form of an amended complaint that complies with the requirements of § 210.12(a). If, prior to institution, the complainant seeks to amend a complaint to add a respondent or to assert an additional unfair act not in the original complaint, including asserting a new patent or patent claim, then the complaint shall be treated as if it had been filed on the date the amendment is filed for purposes of §§ 210.8(b) and (c), 210.9, and 210.10(a).
(b) Postinstitution amendments generally. (1) After an investigation has been instituted, the complaint or notice of investigation may be amended only by leave of the Commission for good cause shown and upon such conditions as are necessary to avoid prejudicing the public interest and the rights of the parties to the investigation. A motion for amendment must be made to the presiding administrative law judge. Complainant shall serve one (1) copy of any motion to amend the complaint and notice of investigation to name an additional respondent after institution on the proposed respondent and on all other respondents. If the proposed amendment of the complaint would introduce an additional unfair act or an additional respondent, the motion shall be accompanied by a proposed amended complaint that complies with the requirements of § 210.12(a). If the proposed amendment of the complaint would require amending the notice of investigation, the presiding administrative law judge may grant the motion only by filing with the Commission an initial determination. All other dispositions of such motions shall be by order. Respondents shall have ten (10) calendar days from the date of service of an order granting the motion or, in cases where the amendment requires amending the notice of investigation, a Commission determination affirming or not reviewing an initial determination granting the motion, to file a written response to the amended complaint and/or notice of investigation. The contents of such response shall be governed by § 210.13(b).
(i) If the amended complaint and notice of investigation name an additional respondent, the Commission shall serve one (1) copy of the amended complaint and notice of investigation on the additional respondent and the embassies of the relevant foreign countries, in the manner specified in § 201.16(b) of this chapter, after a Commission determination affirming or not reviewing an initial determination granting the motion.
(ii) By close of business the next business day following official receipt of the amended complaint, Complainant must deliver copies to the Secretary for service by the Secretary as follows:
(A) For each proposed additional respondent, one (1) true paper copy of the nonconfidential version of the amended complaint and one (1) true paper copy of the confidential version of the amended complaint, if any, along with one (1) true copy of the nonconfidential exhibits and one (1) true copy of the confidential exhibits in electronic form on a CD ROM, DVD, or other portable electronic media approved by the Secretary; and
(B) For the government of the foreign country in which each proposed respondent is located as indicated in the amended complaint, one (1) true paper copy of the nonconfidential version of the complaint shall be filed.
(iii) Unless otherwise ordered in the notice of investigation or by the presiding administrative law judge, an additional respondent named in the amended complaint and notice of investigation shall have twenty (20) days from the date of service of the amended complaint and notice of investigation to file a written response in the manner specified in § 210.13.
(2) If disposition of the issues in an investigation on the merits will be facilitated, or for other good cause shown, the presiding administrative law judge may allow appropriate amendments to pleadings other than complaints upon such conditions as are necessary to avoid prejudicing the public interest and the rights of the parties to the investigation.
(c) Postinstitution amendments to conform to evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings or notice of investigation, but reasonably within the scope of the pleadings and notice, are considered during the taking of evidence by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings and notice. Such amendments of the pleadings and notice as may be necessary to make them conform to the evidence and to raise such issues shall be allowed at any time, and shall be effective with respect to all parties who have expressly or impliedly consented.
(d) Supplemental submissions. The administrative law judge may, upon reasonable notice and on such terms as are just, permit service of a supplemental submission setting forth transactions, occurrences, or events that have taken place since the date of the submission sought to be supplemented and that are relevant to any of the issues involved.
(e) Counterclaims. At any time after institution of the investigation, but not later than ten business days before the commencement of the evidentiary hearing, a respondent may file a counterclaim at the Commission in accordance with section 337(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930. Counterclaims shall be filed in a separate document. A respondent who files such a counterclaim shall immediately file a notice of removal with a United States district court in which venue for any of the counterclaims raised by the respondent would exist under 28 U.S.C. 1391.
(f) Respondent submissions on the public interest. When the Commission has ordered the administrative law judge to take evidence with respect to the public interest under § 210.50(b)(1), respondents must submit a statement concerning the public interest, including any response to the issues raised by the complainant pursuant to § 210.8(b) and (c)(2), at the same time that their response to the complaint is due. This submission must be no longer than five pages, inclusive of attachments.
(g) Consolidation of investigations. The Commission may consolidate two or more investigations. If the investigations are currently before the same presiding administrative law judge, the administrative law judge may consolidate the investigations. If the investigations are not currently before the same presiding administrative law judge, the chief administrative law judge may consolidate the investigations and assign an administrative law judge to preside over the consolidated investigations. The investigation number in the caption of the consolidated investigation will include the investigation numbers of the investigations being consolidated. The investigation number in which the matter will be proceeding (the lead investigation) will be the first investigation number named in the consolidated caption.
(h) Severance of investigation. The administrative law judge may determine to sever an investigation into two or more investigations at any time prior to or upon thirty days from institution, based upon either a motion by any party or upon the administrative law judge's own judgment that severance is necessary to allow efficient adjudication. The administrative law judge's decision will be in the form of an order. The newly severed investigation(s) shall remain with the same presiding administrative law judge unless reassigned at the discretion of the chief administrative law judge. The severed investigation(s) will be designated with new investigation numbers.