Capic v. Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Ltd ACN 004 116 223

Lower Court Judgment

13/12/2023 Federal Court of Australia (Yates, Beach & Downes JJ)

[2023] FCAFC 179 – reasons published 14/11/2023

Catchwords

Trade Practices – Consumer law – Measure of damages for failure to comply with guarantee of acceptable quality – Where appellant brought representative proceedings under Part IVA of Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) in respect of Ford-badged motor vehicles fitted with DPS6 dual-clutch transmission system ("affected vehicles") – Where primary judge found affected vehicles supplied in breach of guarantee of acceptable quality under s 25 of Australian Consumer Law – Where primary judge held damages under s 272(1) requires assessment of reduction in value only at time of supply – Where Full Court found in order to avoid overcompensation under s 272(1)(a), it may be necessary to depart from date of supply as reference state for statutory reduction in value damages – Where Full Court held post-supply information may be relevant – Whether Full Court erred in construing s 272(1)(a) as subject to qualification that assessment of damages may require departure from assessment at time of supply or adjustment to avoid over-compensation – Whether s 272(1)(a) permits, and for what purpose, evidence of post-supply events to be used when assessing statutory compensation under the provision.