Legal

Supreme Court denies REX’s request to rehear petition

The Supreme Court will not be taking up Real Estate Exchange (REX)’s appeal of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in REX’s long-running antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow. The nation’s highest court denied REX’s rehearing request in a ruling on Monday. No reason was given for its refusal. […]

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Sweeney amends lawsuit against AIME, names UWM

The legal skirmish between Katie Sweeney and the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) is continuing to develop with a first amended complaint that officially names United Wholesale Mortgage, AIME’s main sponsor, and Sarah DeCiantis, UWM’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, as defendants. Sweeney previously filed a motion on Oct. 28 in the

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HUD investigating Boston housing policies, alleging discrimination against white residents

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Thursday that it is opening an investigation into the city of Boston’s housing policies, examining perceived discrimination against white residents. In a letter to Mayor Michelle Wu, Craig Trainor — HUD’s assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity — said city officials had prioritized people

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Biggest stories of 2025: Zillow’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad legal storm

From lawsuits to mergers and acquisitions at a scale never seen before in real estate and everything in between, 2025 was full of twists, turns and surprises for the housing industry. HousingWire is rewinding and breaking down the biggest storylines in the real estate industry from this past year.  Despite strong revenue growth and a

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CrossCountry challenges court order in Gallo case

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) filed a motion last week as it seeks to intervene in the criminal case against former loan officer Christopher Gallo, and to vacate a November court order that blocked the company’s arbitration claim against the former employee. National Mortgage News first reported the legal action. According to the Dec. 3 filing, the

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FTC issues warnings to rental software firms on price transparency

A week after settling a lawsuit with rental property management company Greystar, it appears the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) involvement in the rental property management space is not waning.  On Tuesday, the government regulator announced that it had sent letters to 13 property management software providers nationwide warning them that they may be violating the

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Buyer owes $24K after breaching buyers broker agreement, arbitration finds

Since the implementation of mandatory buyer broker agreements via the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement, many have wondered what happens if a buyer breaches a contract.  Jeff Lichtenstein, the broker-owner of Florida-based Echo Fine Properties, found out when his firm entered into arbitration with a

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Court merges lawsuits over Zillow, Redfin’s multifamily listing deal

The two antitrust lawsuits involving Zillow and Redfin’s $100 million multifamily rental syndication deal have been consolidated.  The plaintiffs in the lawsuits include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general in Virginia, Arizona, New York, Connecticut and Washington. The five states’ attorneys general filed their unopposed motion to combine their lawsuit with the suit filed

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Compass, Zillow debate irreparable harm at hearing

Thursday marked day three of Compass’s preliminary injunction hearing in its antitrust lawsuit against Zillow. The day featured testimony from Compass executives and expert witnesses. The hearing, which is being held in New York City under the auspices of U.S. District Court Judge Jeanette Vargas, will be used to decide Compass’s motion seeking to block

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Compass, Zillow: Who gets to set the rules of online real estate? A judge may soon decide

Compass’s preliminary injunction hearing in its antitrust lawsuit against Zillow continued throughout this week, before finishing up on Friday. The hearing, which is being held in New York City under the auspices of U.S. District Court Judge Jeanette Vargas, will be used to decide Compass’s motion seeking to block the enforcement of Zillow’s listing access

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