It has been a busy week in the courts and HousingWire is here to update you on all of the real estate lawsuit developments. The Compass v. NWMLS battle continues Compass is seeking to dismiss the counterclaims asserted against it by Northwest MLS (NWMLS), according to a motion filed last Thursday. In the filing Compass […]
Real estate antitrust and commission lawsuits, week in court update Read More »
Northwest Multiple Listing Service has filed counterclaims in federal court against Compass, alleging the brokerage’s “three-phase marketing program” is a deceptive scheme that hides listing data from the public and violates Washington’s Consumer Protection Act. In the filing, the Kirkland, Wash.-based MLS argues that Compass’ strategy of scaling so-called “pocket listings” creates a “two-tier” marketplace,
Northwest MLS accuses Compass of deceptive ‘pocket listing’ scheme in counterclaim Read More »
Compass’s antitrust lawsuit against Northwest MLS (NWMLS) is that much closer to heading to court. On Thursday, Judge Jamal Whitehead of U.S. District Court in Seattle denied NWMLS’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim. Originally filed in late April 2025, the lawsuit centers around NWMLS’s listing policy. As a non-Realtor-association
Judge denies NWMLS bid to dismiss Compass antitrust suit Read More »
Compass and Northwest MLS (NWMLS) are currently locked in a dispute over the MLS’s production of documents during discovery in the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm’s antitrust lawsuit. Compass filed this lawsuit against NWMLS in late April 2025. The antitrust suit centers around NWMLS’s listing policy. As a non-Realtor-association affiliated MLS, NWMLS does not have to adhere
Compass, NWMLS clash over document production in antitrust suit Read More »
The Council of Multiple Listing Services’ (CMLS) has announced its board of directors for 2026. On Friday, the MLS trade association announced that the chair of the 2026 board is Nicole Jensen, the CEO of realMLS, replacing John DiMichele, the CEO of Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, who will remain on the board as the
CMLS unveils new 2026 board, names Nicole Jensen chair Read More »
The nation’s top brokerage by transaction side count, eXp Realty, first entered the forms business during the summer of 2024, as the real estate industry prepared for the business practice changes mandated by the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement. Nearly 18 months later, eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja and his team
eXp’s new framework signals a shift: Transparency isn’t optional anymore Read More »
The legal teams at multiple listing services (MLS) have been getting quite the workout over the past few years, first with the commission lawsuits and more recently with lawsuits related to Realtor association membership and MLS access. Given these circumstances MLSs are naturally looking for ways to lower their legal risk portfolio, with “derisking” being
De-risking the MLS: CEOs say consumer friendliness is the best line of defense Read More »
Compass has appointed Ethan Glass as its new chief legal officer. Glass — a veteran antitrust lawyer — previously led the global antitrust and competition practice at Cooley LLP and directed U.S. Department of Justice teams that investigated and sued multiple listing service (MLS) organizations over anticompetitive conduct. “I’m honored to join Compass, a company
Compass taps former NAR settlement attorney Ethan Glass as chief legal officer Read More »
Compass and Northwest MLS (NWMLS) are continuing their war of words. Since Compass filed its antitrust suit against the NWMLS in April, alleging that the MLS’s rule requiring listings to be entered within 24 hours of public marketing and prohibiting office-exclusive listings is anticompetitive, the two parties have traded barbs via legal filings. In NWMLS’s
NWMLS says it has ‘no duty to deal’ with Compass Read More »
Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Senate Democrats press FHFA on crypto use in mortgages Five Senate Democrats are urging caution as the Federal Housing Finance Agency considers allowing unconverted cryptocurrency in mortgage underwriting.
Tech Pulse: Lawmakers press FHFA on crypto for mortgages Read More »