A case against a teenager who allegedly sold fake Dior x Air Jordan 1s to a buyer was recently dismissed.
A man in Melbourne spent 30,000 Australian dollars (about 20,000 US dollars) on seven pairs of Nike Air Jordan 1s that he now considers to be fake. The real estate agent took the 17-year-old teenage seller and his father to court seeking a refund, but his case was recently dismissed, as reported by the BBC this week.
"If the deal was struck when [the seller] was 18, the outcome might have been different," wrote Katherine Metcalf, a member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, in her dismissal. "While the law generally protects minors from the consequences of their own actions, it might be argued that at this juncture it is not the minor who needs protection, but rather the people with whom he has chosen to do business."
The unnamed seller bought four pairs of the limited-edition Dior x Air Jordan 1s, which were only available through a lottery system when they debuted. He spent between 3,800 Australian dollars (2,549 US dollars) and 10,000 Australian dollars (6,708 US dollars) on them. He also paid 2,690 Australian dollars (1,805 US dollars) for three pairs of other Air Jordan models in various colors.
When the buyer received the sneakers, he noticed "deficiencies," according to the tribunal, and contacted the teenager for a refund. The seller did not respond, so the buyer contacted the teenager's father; the pair then went to a local authenticator to resolve everything. However, the authenticator knew the teenager as a "scammer." Still, the father and son disputed the store's claims and insisted the sneakers were authentic.
In October, the buyer took his case to court, but it was recently dismissed due to the seller's age. Under Victorian law, a minor is not legally capable of signing a contract or returning money, which nullifies the buyer's right to a refund. And even though the father got involved, it was not enough to make the teenager return his unlawfully obtained money.
Tens of thousands of dollars is a lot of money for fake Nike sneakers, especially considering that the Dior collaboration has been copied multiple times. If you're looking for a pair on the resale market, this is a good reminder to do your due diligence in advance.
