Australia: Announced Legal Proceedings Against Grays eCommerce Group for False or Misleading Advertising

On 26 February 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that it had initiated legal proceedings in the Federal Court against Grays eCommerce Group Limited (Grays). The online auction business, which operates Australia-wide, is alleged to have provided false or misleading descriptions of at least 750 cars on its site between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2022. The inaccurate information contained incorrect details regarding the make, model, features, and undisclosed obvious faults of the cars. Grays has acknowledged the conduct and agreed to make joint submissions with the ACCC to the Court for a penalty of AUD 10 million for the admitted breaches of the Australian Consumer Law. The Federal Court will decide whether to grant the orders requested on a date yet to be determined.