Andjelic v Marsland

The High Court of Australia considered a dispute between Andjelic and Marsland concerning the interpretation and application of the *Trade Practices Act 1974* (Cth) (now the *Competition and Consumer Act 2010* (Cth)). The case involved allegations of misleading or deceptive conduct in relation to the sale of a business.

The central legal issues before the Court were whether the respondent had engaged in conduct that was misleading or deceptive, or likely to mislead or deceive, in contravention of section 52 of the *Trade Practices Act 1974*, and if so, what remedies were available to the appellant. The Court also had to consider the nature of the representations made and whether they were statements of fact or mere expressions of opinion or future expectation.

The High Court's reasoning focused on the objective test for misleading or deceptive conduct, which requires considering whether the conduct, viewed as a whole, was capable of leading a reasonable member of the relevant class of consumers into error. The Court analysed the specific representations made by the respondent concerning the profitability and turnover of the business, distinguishing between statements of fact and statements of opinion or future performance. The Court affirmed that a statement about the future, if made without any reasonable grounds, could constitute misleading or deceptive conduct. The Court ultimately found that the representations made were not misleading or deceptive in the circumstances of the case.