Commissions lawsuits

Watch the conversation with Ed Zorn, CRMLS VP and general counsel, as he shares his take on several pending lawsuits and the fate of the Sitzer/Burnett appeal.

A Missouri court said discovery can continue in the commissions lawsuit even though a Georgia judge granted preliminary approval of deals in a related case.

The Real Brokerage and Realty ONE Group have each paid millions to home sellers, but now face litigation from buyers claiming they paid inflated prices.

The deals in Gibson and Keel total more than $20 million, closing another chapter in the years-long litigation over agent fees.

A Massachusetts judge granted preliminary approval on June 10, nearly two years after a proposed settlement drew intense scrutiny from the Justice Department.

Based on the number of claims filed by the May 9 deadline, each home seller could receive around $250 from the over $1 billion settlement fund.

The DOJ pulled back its objections as the long-running commissions case moves closer to settlement approval.

The lawsuits may seem like old news, but not everyone has moved on. An appeals court is reviewing objections that have the potential to invalidate the deals.

After months of sparring between attorneys in the Hooper and Gibson commissions lawsuits, a Georgia judge has allowed the deals to move forward.

The Gibson case continues, however, with Crye-Leike and a Warren Buffet-owned company still pushing back, and other settlements facing challenges.

Judge Stephen Bough will continue to oversee the case despite efforts by multiple defendants to have him removed over an alleged conflict of interest.

Details of the deal were not disclosed in the April 8 filing. Meanwhile, a few of the remaining defendants are trying to get the judge removed from the case.

The $3.95 million settlement aligns with NAR math, but unlike NAR’s agreement, allows the Massachusetts MLS to continue displaying offers of compensation.

The judge in Georgia’s Hooper case said the Missouri home sellers can file objections but can’t intervene to stop the settlement process from moving forward.

MLS PIN and the plaintiffs refuted the DOJ’s recent claim that the agreement only “maintains the status quo”; Keel, Gibson lawyers ask for their paychecks.

This week the federal agency weighed in — again — on the 5-year-old case, arguing that revisions to the 2023 deal are only cosmetic.

Gibson home sellers join the brokerage in asking the court to put the suit on hold so they can file details as the judge faces a request to recuse himself.

The Tennessee-based brokerage tried to convince the court that it should be covered under the NAR settlement, but that request was denied.

Attorneys in the Hooper case defended the deals they reached with the brokerages and accused Gibson lawyers of trying to “line their own pockets.”

Several smaller brokerages and two MLSs named in the Keel and Gibson cases are scheduled for a final hearing on June 24.