When the Compass-Anywhere deal closed in early January with little fanfare—only three months after it was announced—there were at least some raised eyebrows. A deal of that magnitude often elicits significant regulatory scrutiny, with multiple federal agencies given a chance over the course of months to examine how a merger will affect markets or whether…
Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who was overseeing the long-suffering Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), announced on social media yesterday that she would be resigning from the position, effective immediately. “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as (assistant attorney general) for…
After months of silence—and some indications that it was backing off its most aggressive positions—the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump is again addressing what it describes as “anticompetitive rules, policies and practices in the residential real-estate industry” as it intervened in yet another commission case last week. In a 23-page “statement of…
In the late stages of a lawsuit against eXp alleging the brokerage allowed and covered up sexual assaults at company events, eXp is seeking to have a new charge of fraud dismissed. In a third amended complaint filed late October, plaintiffs claimed that eXp executives lied both privately and publicly about investigating allegations of multiple…
The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Four days of testimony set battle lines in Zillow-Compass showdown With top executives, brokers and a mob of journalists packing a high-rise federal courtroom in Manhattan last week, the public got its first glimpse of…
With Compass and Zillow locked into a high-stakes fight over listing restrictions and market power, company executives testified in federal court for the third day yesterday as Compass leadership addressed the specifics of its private listing-focused strategy, from alleged harm to its business from the Zillow rules, to how it communicated with agents. The trial—officially…
In a class-action lawsuit focused on Zillow’s mortgage referral and fee structures, plaintiffs just added a bevy of new accusations, citing a handful of “confidential witnesses”—current and former loan officers and agents who worked with the company—who claim Zillow sought to hide the fact it was funneling customers to its mortgage business. Alleging violations of…
NEW YORK CITY–As the afternoon session of the Compass-Zillow preliminary injunction hearing got underway in courtroom 14C at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in downtown Manhattan on Nov. 18, with Judge Jeannette Vargas presiding, the intensity from the morning session continued with Compass CEO Robert Reffkin on the stand. Throughout the day, attorney Bonnie…
A little over a week after Zillow sought to clarify its discussions with Chicago-based Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) over restrictions on private listings, the MLS appears to be digging in, as this week MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen sent an emotional open letter to members defending its private listing network against a “one-size-fits-all model.” With…
One of the men at the center of sexual assault allegations that purportedly took place at eXp recruiting events is now alleging the company officially separated him not for the misconduct, but for unpaid dues. The company faces a high-stakes jury trial over the allegations next year. At an occasionally contentious hearing on Oct. 17,…
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