Australia: Competition and Consumer Commission filed lawsuit against JustAnswer over alleged misleading and deceptive conduct in online advice service

On 23 September 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Australia against JustAnswer, alleging false, misleading, and deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. The lawsuit concerns JustAnswer’s online advice service offered to Australian consumers in areas including medicine, law, accounting, and employment. The ACCC claims JustAnswer misrepresented the total price by promoting a one-off AUD 2 joining fee while concealing higher monthly subscription charges, and falsely suggested affiliation with the Fair Work Ombudsman, other Ombudsman offices, and government bodies. The conduct is alleged to contravene provisions on misleading conduct, false claims of service sponsorship and false or misleading price representations under the Consumer Law. The lawsuit highlighted the damages caused owing to unexpected subscription fees and consumers being misled into thinking the service was government-affiliated.