Sitzer/Burnett

Hanna, Windermere and three more brokerages settle home seller commission lawsuits

An additional five home seller commission lawsuit settlement agreements have gained final approval. On Thursday, Judge Stephen Bough, a Kansas City-based U.S. District Court judge, granted final approval to settlements reached by Hanna Holdings, William Raveis Real Estate, EXIT Realty Corp., Windermere Real Estate Services and William L. Lyon & Associates with the Gibson suit […]

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Keller Williams settles Batton homebuyer commission lawsuit

Nearly two years to the day since Keller Williams settled the home seller commission lawsuits, the firm has announced a settlement with the Batton homebuyer commission lawsuit plaintiffs. The company announced its settlement agreement on Monday. As part of the nationwide settlement agreement, Keller Williams will pay $20 million. The firm did not disclose any

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Realtor associations, MLSs push back on steering allegations

The slew of defendants in the Zea antitrust lawsuit filed against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) have been busy rejecting the lawsuit’s claims. On Wednesday, the defendants filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, as well as a response in opposition to plaintiff Jorge A. Zea’s motion for preliminary injunction.  Filed in August in the

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Compass taps former NAR settlement attorney Ethan Glass as chief legal officer

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

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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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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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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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Plaintiffs’ attorneys are checking on NAR settlement compliance

Almost 11 months have passed since the business practice changes mandated by the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement went into effect. Now, the co-lead counsel for the settlement class is looking to find out if the parties are complying. In a letter sent in April but filed in court last week, the

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15 commission lawsuit settlements gain final approval

In a move that’s unsurprising, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough has granted final approval to 15 more commission lawsuit settlement agreements. Bough granted final approval to settlements negotiated in the Gibson and Keel suits during a joint hearing on Tuesday afternoon.  The settling defendants in the two suits, both of which are being overseen

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15 commission lawsuit settlements are up for final approval next week

Commission lawsuit settlement agreements from 15 real estate industry players, including major names like Keyes Co./Illustrated Properties, Side, JPAR, NextHome and Baird & Warner will be up for final approval on Tuesday, June 24. The fifteen settling defendants, which come from the Gibson and Keel suits, filed a joint motion for final approval of the

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