Online advice platform JustAnswer has been ordered to pay AU$10 million after an Australian court found that it misled consumers about the real cost of its service, adding to mounting legal pressure on the company and its founder and CEO, Andrew “Andy” Kurtzig.
On 8 July 2026, Australia's Federal Court ordered JustAnswer LLC to pay AU$10 million in penalties following proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. JustAnswer admitted breaches of Australian Consumer Law involving misleading pricing and false claims of government affiliation.
In reality, customers were simultaneously enrolled in recurring subscriptions costing between AU$45 and AU$75 per month, with payments continuing until cancellation.
“Between November 2022 and August 2025, Australian visitors were presented with messages stating that they could join JustAnswer for “only AU$2”, described as fully refundable.”
EuroAsia.News, reporting from Hong Kong
The court also ordered refunds for eligible affected consumers, a corrective notice, a consumer-law compliance programme and an injunction preventing similar conduct.
The case went beyond subscription pricing. JustAnswer also admitted making misleading statements suggesting connections with Australian government institutions. Its website used descriptions including “Chat with a Fair Work Ombudsman 1:1”, although the company had no such affiliation. Similar claims referring to an “AU Ombudsman” were also found to be misleading.
The man behind JustAnswer
JustAnswer was founded by entrepreneur Andy Kurtzig, who remains its CEO. The platform built its business around connecting paying customers with professionals offering advice in fields ranging from medicine and law to veterinary care, accounting and technology.
The Australian judgment, however, is against JustAnswer LLC rather than a personal criminal conviction of Kurtzig.
There is, nevertheless, another highly significant case underway in the United States—and this time Kurtzig himself is named as a defendant.
In January 2026, the US Federal Trade Commission sued both JustAnswer LLC and Andrew Kurtzig individually and in his capacity as an officer of the company. The FTC alleges that consumers were attracted by offers allowing them to obtain expert assistance for as little as $1 or $5 but were then enrolled into subscriptions costing between $28 and $125 per month without adequate informed consent.
The FTC is seeking monetary relief for consumers, civil penalties and a permanent injunction. Importantly, however, this case remains pending as of August 2026, meaning the allegations against Kurtzig have not yet resulted in a judgment or conviction. Kurtzig has moved to dismiss the FTC complaint.
Private litigation has also followed similar allegations. For example, a US class-action lawsuit filed in California alleges that a consumer was unknowingly enrolled in a recurring JustAnswer subscription and eventually paid more than $1,000 in charges.
What makes it particularly significant is that JustAnswer admitted the Australian Consumer Law breaches, rather than merely facing unresolved accusations.
At the same time, the parallel FTC action raises a larger question. Regulators on two continents have challenged remarkably similar aspects of JustAnswer's subscription model. Australia has already imposed a AU$10 million penalty; in the United States, the legal responsibility of both the company and Andy Kurtzig personally is now before a federal court.
For an internet company built around providing consumers with expert answers, the most consequential unanswered question may now be one being decided by the courts themselves.
