2. (a) That's right. A fraudulent representation that was conveyed indirectly to a plaintiff is sufficient for an action in deceit if the defendant made the statement with the intention that the plaintiff would rely and act on it. This will not always be the case, but where business information is given to a business associate of the plaintiff, it may be reasonable to conclude that it would be communicated to the plaintiff and relied on. In the present case, A is likely to be liable.