As the war over private listings intensifies, Zillow and Compass (among others) are using dueling data reports and starkly different methodologies to make their respective cases in the courtroom—and in the court of public opinion. On July 24, Compass reported that pre-marketed homes that started as Private Exclusives or Coming Soons sold for 4.6% more…
Discount brokerage Homie Technology, Inc.’s appeal to reverse the dismissal of its lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR)—as well as Anywhere, REMAX, Keller Williams and HomeServices of America—has been dismissed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued its judgement Tuesday, dismissing the appeal, with the Circuit judges stating in the…
Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. NAR and Mauricio Umansky spar over decade-old fraud allegation In a long-running lawsuit filed by listing startup PLS.com against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), allegations of “unprofessional” conduct and “improper” demands are…
Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Zillow class-action claims dismissed (for now) Judge James Robart of the federal Western District of Washington wrote in a 32-page order last week that a lawsuit filed by homebuyers against Zillow failed to…
Four retired federal judges are formally protesting the procedure by which the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and other big brokerages, including Anywhere, settled the buyer commission cases, saying that the practice will encourage “forum-shopping” by class-action defendants. In a 22-page letter, known as an amicus curiae brief, Diane Wood, David Coar, G. Patrick Murphy…
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough has appointed two “special masters”—third parties granted significant authority over witnesses, evidence and testimony—to audit JND Legal Administration’s billing in the Burnett and Gibson commission lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), capping months of scrutiny over the settlement administrator’s finances. The July 27 order names Chris T.…
A judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Zillow and a real estate brokerage, saying that lawyers representing homebuyers who used Zillow’s mortgage services or were referred to agents through the portal’s lead-selling service did not meet the legal standard to move forward. Plaintiffs had alleged that Zillow’s practices were deceptive, violating RESPA, racketeering and consumer…
Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Federal lawmakers investigate MRED-Compass partnership A federal congressional committee sent letters to Compass CEO Robert Reffkin and MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen in relation to their partnership, scrutinizing the relationship between the nation’s largest…
The battle over private listings is playing out nearly everywhere—from statehouses and courthouses to brokerage offices and Wall Street boardrooms. As opponents and supporters of the practice make their cases, the debate looks vastly different depending on the venue. But one tool that is nearly always effective is data. And as the practice draws more…
Compass targets Zillow with consumer ethics complaints in dozens of states Compass filed state-level ethics complaints on July 14 through 30 Realtor® associations, at least 50 MLSs and multiple real estate regulators across 26 states, targeting Zillow and focusing on allegedly misleading property designations on listings. A source with direct knowledge of the effort told…
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