Legal

Rocket Companies moves to dismiss RESPA lawsuit

Detroit-based Rocket Companies this week moved to dismiss a lawsuit alleging violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), arguing that plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury, relied on claims beyond the one-year statute of limitations and did not sufficiently plead unjust enrichment. The class-action suit, filed in late January, alleges that homebuyers who began […]

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FinCEN’s anti-money laundering rule struck down: what real estate and title professionals need to know

A federal judge in Texas has vacated the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) nationwide anti-money laundering (AML) rule — creating a legal vacuum and uncertainty among title and real estate professionals. While the ruling eliminates a significant compliance burden that industry groups had criticized, legal observers warn that FinCEN retains broad authority over real estate

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Florida court shields unused reverse mortgage credit from garnishment

A Florida appeals court has ruled that funds available but not yet withdrawn from a reverse mortgage line of credit are protected under the state’s homestead exemption and cannot be garnished. The March 25 decision by the Fourth District Court of Appeal found that a creditor could not force a homeowner to access unused funds

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CoStar says Zillow copyright infringement now tops 53,000 photos

CoStar Group is claiming that Zillow’s alleged infringement upon copyrighted photos owned by CoStar has continued despite the ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit CoStar filed against Zillow last July. In an amended complaint filed on Friday, CoStar claims that Zillow has infringed on CoStar’s copyright on more than 53,000 watermarked photos across Zillow and the platforms

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Bill Pulte targets Letitia James with new criminal referrals

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte is again targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, this time filing criminal referrals with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over alleged insurance fraud. The referrals were sent to two U.S. attorneys — Jason Reding Quinones of the Southern District of Florida and Andrew Boutros of

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Antitrust lawsuit against NAR faces dismissal

A magistrate judge in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida, is recommending that the court dismiss the Zea antitrust lawsuit filed against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and several local Realtor associations and MLSs.  Filed in August, the lawsuit claims that the defendants engaged in a “coordinated scheme” to restrict consumer choice

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US Mortgage hit with lawsuit over May 2025 data breach

A former US Mortgage Corp. employee has filed a class-action complaint against the company following a data breach that occurred in May 2025, claiming that the incident could have been avoided if not for the company’s negligence. Richard Bernich, who brought the suit individually and on behalf of a proposed class of all individuals in

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Howard Hanna settles homebuyer commission case as courtroom tensions escalate

Hanna Holdings, the parent company of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, has settled the homebuyer commission lawsuits.  In a filing in the Davis homebuyer commission lawsuit on Monday, attorneys for Hanna Holdings indicated that the company had reached a settlement agreement in the Tuccori home buyer commission lawsuit via an opt-in feature in that lawsuit’s

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Stockton Mortgage denies accessing former employees’ email accounts

Kentucky-based Stockton Mortgage fired back against two former employees’ claims that the company accessed their personal email accounts multiple times in 2025 and used the messages in separate litigation. Two former loan officers, Christopher Hoehn and Ashley Hoehn, filed a complaint last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The

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Rep. Swalwell drops privacy lawsuit against FHFA’s Pulte

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has dropped a lawsuit that accused Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte of violating federal privacy laws. The parties agreed to the “dismissal of this action without prejudice, with each side bearing its own fees and costs,” according to court filings. The move means that Swalwell could refile

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