Case: Butcher v Lachlan Elder Realty Pty Ltd [2004] HCA 60 ; (2004) 218 CLR 592
Outcome: cited
Section 52 of the Act provides that a corporation shall not, in trade or commerce, engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive. Proceedings before this Court involving s 52 claims are not infrequent and feature widely varying factual scenarios. A number of principles should be kept in mind in considering claims in the context of s 52. These include the following: 1. Section 52 of the Act requires that the relevant corporation engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive. Section 4(2)(a) of the Act provides that: a reference to engaging in conduct shall be read as a reference to doing or refusing to do any act, including the making of, or the giving effect to a provision of, a contract or arrangement, the arriving at, or the giving effect to a provision of, an understanding or the requiring of the giving of, or the giving of, a covenant. "Conduct" is not co-extensive with "representation" in s 52 (Lockhart and Gummow JJ in Accounting Systems 2000 (Developments) Pty Ltd v CCH Australia Ltd (1993) 42 FCR 470 at 504, Butcher v Lachlan Elder Realty Pty Ltd [2004] HCA 60 ; (2004) 218 CLR 592 per Gleeson CJ, Hayne and Heydon JJ at 603, McHugh J at 622) however engaging in conduct does encompass making representations (cf McGrath; in the matter of Pan Pharmaceuticals Ltd (in liq) v Australian Naturalcare Products Pty Ltd [2008] FCAFC 2 at [150] ). 2. Where a party alleges that the conduct of another was misleading or deceptive, or likely to mislead or deceive, it is ordinarily necessary for that party to prove to the reasonable satisfaction of the court the nature of the alleged conduct and the circumstances which rendered the conduct misleading: McLelland CJ in Eq in Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 at 318 (cf for example, Lahoud v Lahoud [2006] NSWCA 169 at [91] , Yang v American International Assurance Co (Australia) Ltd [2008] FCA 39 at [89] ). 3. Where the conduct is the speaking of words in the course of a conversation, it is necessary that the words spoken be proved with a degree of precision sufficient to enable the court to be reasonably satisfied that they were in fact misleading in the proved circumstances: Watson 49 NSWLR 315 at 318 (cf for example Christofidellis v Zdrilic [1999] FCA 39 , Ingot Capital Investments Pty Ltd v Macquarie Equity Capital Markets Ltd (No 6) (2007) 63 ACLR 1 at 107, Yang FCA 39 at [89]). 4. The essential characteristic of misleading or deceptive conduct is that it contains or conveys a meaning which is false ( Global Sportsman Ltd v Mirror Newspapers Pty Ltd [1984] FCA 180 ; (1984) 2 FCR 82 at 88). 5. There will be no contravention unless error or misconception results from the conduct of the corporation, and not from other circumstances for which the corporation is not responsible ( Equity Access Pty Ltd v Westpac Banking Corporation [1989] FCA 506 ; (1990) ATPR 40-994 at 50,950; Miller's Annotated Trade Practices Act (29th ed) 1.51.5). 6. Whether or not conduct is misleading or deceptive is a question of fact to be decided by considering what is said and done against the background of all surrounding circumstances ( Taco Co of Australia Inc v Taco Bell Pty Ltd (1982) 42 ALR 177 at 202). 7. The words likely to mislead or deceive add little to s 52; at most they make it clear that it is unnecessary to prove that the conduct in question actually deceived or misled anyone (Gibbs CJ in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd v Puxu Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; (1982) 149 CLR 191 at 198). Conduct will be likely to mislead or deceive if there is a real or not remote chance or possibility of misleading or deceiving, regardless of whether it is more than 50% ( Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; 149 CLR 191 at [6] , [15], Equity Access Pty Ltd ATPR 40-994 at 50,950, Global Sportsman Pty Ltd [1984] FCA 180 ; 2 FCR 82 , McHugh J in Butcher [2004] HCA 60 ; 218 CLR 592 at 626). 8. Silence, or failure to disclose information, can fall within the gamut of misleading or deceptive conduct in the sense that having regard to all the relevant circumstances, it constitutes conduct that has been misleading or deceptive or that is likely to mislead or deceive ( Demagogue Pty Ltd v Ramensky [1992] FCA 557 ; (1992) 39 FCR 31 at 32, 41; Fleetman Pty Ltd v Cairns Pty Ltd [2005] FCAFC 80 at [1] - [2] ). 9. The conduct of a corporation must be viewed as a whole. It would be wrong to select some words or act which, alone, would be likely to mislead if those words or acts, when viewed in their context, were not capable of misleading (Gibbs CJ in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; 149 CLR 191 at 199). 10. As a general rule intention (or lack of intention) to mislead or deceive is not a necessary element of conduct proscribed by s 52 ( Hornsby Building Information Centre Pty Ltd v Sydney Building Information Centre Ltd (1978) 140 CLR 216 at 228). The liability imposed by s 52 is unrelated to fault (Gibbs CJ in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; 149 CLR 191 at 197). 11. The court must decide objectively whether the conduct is misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive, and that evidence that members of the public have actually been misled is not conclusive, although it can be very persuasive (Gibbs CJ in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; 149 CLR 191 at 198-199, McWilliam's Wines Pty Ltd v McDonald's System of Australia [1980] FCA 159 ; (1980) 33 ALR 394 per Smithers J at 399 and Fisher J at 414, Equity Access Pty Ltd ATPR 40-994 at 50,950). 152 Finally, and in any event, as is clear from the cases in this area, the conduct of the first respondent and of Mr Strahley must be considered as a whole (Gibbs CJ in Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44 ; 149 CLR 191 at 199, Butcher [2004] HCA 60 ; 218 CLR 592 at 605, 622). Even if, contrary to my findings, the data in para 7.3 of the 1 June 2004 Valuation Report were misleading or deceptive, subsequent to the provision of that report the respondent claims that Mr Tracy was provided with the following documents, namely: &#8226; Yield Summary which recorded historical yields for the crop years 1998 to 2004 (a document entitled "Yield Summary.xls" (exhibit A17); and &#8226; Block Summary data which recorded historical information, including yields and packout rates, for the crop years 2002-2004 and with a forecast component for 2005-2007 (exhibit R30).