#CLASS ACTIO REAL ESTATE AGENTS PROFESSIONAL#

#CLASS ACTIO REAL ESTATE AGENTS PROFESSIONAL#

“Listing brokers making offers of compensation to buyer brokers gives first-time, minority and low/middle-income homebuyers a better shot at affording a home and professional representation,” said NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith. Aside from damages, the plaintiffs seek “a permanent injunction” stopping NAR from requiring “sellers to pay the buyer broker and from continuing to restrict competition among buyer brokers.”.Four MLSs in the Southeast that cover Fort Myers, Florida Miami, Florida Charlotte, North Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina.Three MLSs in the Mountain West that cover Colorado Springs, Colorado Denver, Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah.Six MLSs in the Southwest covering Austin, Texas Dallas, Texas Houston, Texas Las Vegas, Nevada Phoenix, Arizona San Antonio, Texas.Five MLSs in the Midwest covering Cleveland, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Detroit, Michigan Milwaukee, Wisconsin Minneapolis, Minnesota.My Florida Regional MLS (including the metropolitan areas of Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota).The Bright MLS (including the metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Maryland Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Richmond, Virginia Washington, D.C.).Plaintiffs are currently seeking a class certification-class action lawsuit designation.The case is currently in the “discovery and briefing” phase, as both sides gather testimony and evidence to support their claims.The rule requires all brokers to make a blanket, non-negotiable offer of buyer broker compensation when listing a property on a Multiple Listing Service (MLS).The lawsuit challenges the Buyer Broker Commission Rule-also known as the Participation Rule, alleging it’s anti-competitive.The lawsuit also names Realogy, HomeServices of America, Keller Williams and RE/MAX as defendants.The case was filed in March 2019 by Christopher Moehrl on behalf of himself and home sellers who paid a broker commission since Maand listed on one of 20 MLSs.

National Association of REALTORS® case, which was recently made into a class action lawsuit. Experts and industry pundits have speculated that this lawsuit could harm the real estate commission structure as the legal battle continues to brew.Īs the case persists, a recent court order filed on May 11 opened the door for plaintiffs in this case to use briefs and exhibits submitted in the Sitzer/Burnett v. The lawsuit claims that NAR conspired with four major franchisors to inflate commissions through its MLS policy. The National Association of REALTORS®Īrguably one of the most prominent lawsuits against NAR, the Moehrl case has helped kickstart a list of lawsuits targeting NAR’s Buyer Broker Commission Rule-also known as the Participation Rule. It may be challenging to keep track of the most impactful lawsuits, so to save time, here are a few of the top court cases carrying significant implications. The past couple of weeks have been filled with headlines of courtroom battles aimed at the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and several prominent real estate companies across the U.S.įrom alleged anti-competitive practices to buyers and sellers taking issue with longstanding commission structure policies, one could argue that the industry faces an existential crisis that could yield potentially disastrous consequences.

Class actio real estate agents