Crown Holdings Faces $18 Million Lawsuit Over Metal Lid Imports

Two subsidiaries of Crown Holdings Inc. should be fined up to $18.1 million after fraudulently misclassifying imports of metal can lids, dodging over $1.1 million in duties and fees, the Justice Department says in a new lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Crown Holdings is a major manufacturer of packaging products, including steel and aluminum cans for food, beverages, and household products. The subsidiaries imported 543 entries of metal can lids with pull tabs from Europe under the wrong tariff classification, according to the government’s complaint filed Wednesday.

The companies classified the lids under a tariff provision for ...