Legal

Is the real estate industry getting its antitrust enforcement wish? 

Many in the real estate industry lauded President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election as they anticipated his win would usher in a new wave of weaker antitrust scrutiny on an industry that had spent the past four years battling its fair share of antitrust suits.  However, these hopes and dreams were put […]

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CrossCountry Mortgage settles sexual harassment case in Georgia

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM), a branch manager in Georgia and a former employee have reached a settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit, according to court filings. The case began in June 2023 when former processor Christina Nielsen alleged that branch manager Steven Bocca subjected her and other female employees to sexual comments, unwanted touching and inappropriate

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Former DOJ official blames lobbyist for weaker antitrust scrutiny

Roger Alford’s time at the Department of Justice (DOJ) may have been brief — much to the relief of the real estate industry — but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have thoughts on his time there.  Alford, a law professor at Notre Dame who served as an expert witness testifying against the real estate industry

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NAR faces new antitrust suit over alleged steering

A broker in Florida is suing the National Association of Realtors (NAR), along with state and local associations and MLSs, for alleged antitrust violations and steering homebuyers into using buyer’s agents.  Filed late last week by Jorge A. Zea in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s West Palm Beach Division, the

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NAR faces appeal of Eytalis antitrust suit

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) must face yet another appeal of a suit it was dismissed from earlier this summer. On Monday, plaintiff Luz de Amor Eytalis filed an appeal of the dismissal of her lawsuit against NAR, Paragon MLS Connect, Wichita Falls Association of Realtors and Texas Association of Realtors.  The lawsuit, which

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VA loan homebuyers navigate NAR settlement with ease

As the real estate industry prepared for the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement, one of the biggest questions was how the changes would impact veteran homebuyers wishing to use their loan benefit from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The NAR settlement requires

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OneTrust challenges mortgage coaching neutrality in suit over trade secrets

OneTrust Home Loans filed a lawsuit this week challenging the long-promoted neutrality of mortgage coaching programs, alleging the services were used by a rival to gain a competitive edge. The California-based lender is suing former loan officer Broch Lassig, mortgage coach Richard Ruby, and Ruby’s company, The Core Training, accusing them of misusing confidential business

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Whistleblower in eXp sexual assault suit sues over alleged retaliation

Noelle Nielsen, one of the women who claims to have brought the alleged sexual assault and harassment issues at eXp Realty to light back in 2020, is claiming that the company has retaliated against her, in a new lawsuit filed last Thursday.  Filed in Minnesota District Court in the County of Hennepin, the suit names

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Appeals court throws curve ball in potential class-action suit against Unison

The line between reverse mortgages and home equity sharing products got a little blurrier on Thursday when a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed a lower court’s dismissal order in a proposed class-action suit against Unison. The opinion found that the plaintiffs suing Unison have shown that their arrangement with the company amounts to

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The big question: Have agent commissions changed since the settlement?

The headlines were predicting massive declines in real estate agent commissions — some even expected home prices to fall as a result, but a year after the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement went into effect the data is painting a different picture.  Prior to September 30, 2024, a little over

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