United States v. Meyer
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
864 F.2d 214 (1988)

- Written by Josh Lee, JD
Facts
Robert Meyer (defendant) was an attorney who assisted a client with submitting a trademark application in Saudi Arabia. Meyer used a Saudi Arabian firm to assist with the application, and the firm sent an Authorization of Agent form to Meyer. One section of the form was titled Creed Declaration and requested a declaration that the attorney’s client had not taken any of a list of seven actions that would violate boycott principles in Saudi Arabia. Meyer filled out this form and mailed it in 1978. The Saudi Arabian embassy responded and requested that the form be notarized by the United States State Department. The State Department refused the request because the form related to the Arab boycott of Israel and the law prohibited United States persons from providing certain boycott information. Meyer then had an associate obtain the notarization from the United States Arab Chamber of Commerce. The notarized form was rejected because it was not notarized by the State Department, and further efforts to obtain the trademark were eventually abandoned. Later, Meyer was charged by the United States government (plaintiff) with violating the anti-boycott regulations issued under the Export Administration Act. Meyer refused to pay a $5,000 civil fine, and the government filed a lawsuit to collect the penalty. The trial court ruled in favor of the government, and Meyer appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Coffin, J.)
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