Real estate in the courtroom

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a Texas broker’s lawsuit accusing NAR and state and local associations of antitrust violations.

Two homesellers who sued the Real Estate Board of New York in 2023 and 2024 argue REBNY shouldn’t have been included in the Gibson and Sitzer/Burnett deals.

The same judges who affirmed the Sitzer/Burnett settlement have upheld the deals in Gibson, closing another chapter in the industry-defining litigation.

The Washington state-based MLS will offer a new “First Look” listing option starting Sept. 4 as part of the settlement agreement.

An antitrust complaint filed against the brokerage giant last week has been amended to include a new claim and a new start period for the class.

Redfin can keep receiving syndicated rental listings from Zillow but will restart its own rental listings business by 2027. And Zillow has agreed to help.

At a trial now pushed to October, eXp World Holdings and its CEO will not face liability claims tied to former agents accused of sex trafficking and assault.

The trial, which is scheduled to begin on Aug. 24, is about whether a Zillow-Redfin rental listings syndication deal is pro-consumer or violates antitrust laws.

The antitrust lawsuit claims that the brokerage’s outsized market share in the city and its push to remove listings from portals has caused rents to surge.

Attorneys in each case want about one-third of the $120M settlement fund. Plus, Zillow’s SCOTUS petition countered; NAR can’t compel The Agency to supply docs.

The judges rejected each of the arguments made by the seven appellants, allowing the combined $876M in deals reached by NAR and major brokerages to stand.

The portal said it “will continue to defend this case with the same confidence we’ve had throughout, regardless of how many times the plaintiffs refile.”

Flexmls had refused to release MLS data on its platform. Plus, a special master in Sitzer/Burnett is accused of bias; FTC, Zillow want witnesses nixed; more.

The Efron case, filed by Florida homebuyers, had accused the brokerage of unfairly and illegally adding a $475 fee to their 2024 home purchase transaction.

Former SEC and U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials, among others, are urging the court to grant Zillow’s request for review of an investor lawsuit filed in 2021.

The brokerages will pay nearly $30 million in combined damages. The Aug. 4 ruling resolves all homebuyer claims and related future actions against the firms.

Two special masters were appointed to oversee the distribution of funds. Plus, eXp sexual assault case headed to trial; intervention requested in Tuccori; more.

The Taylor case claimed Zillow incentivized partner agents to steer homebuyers to its mortgage division. The plaintiffs can refile, but must do so by Aug. 17.

The Sitzer/Burnett plaintiffs filed a motion today after FBS “refused” to provide listing and seller data MLSs agreed to release per the settlement terms.

The proptech firm says brokerages are receiving templated demand letters alleging California Invasion of Privacy Act violations. Lofty is fighting back.