A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, granting Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction on Tuesday evening. In her ruling, Judge Jia Cobb said that Trump’s reasons for removing Cook did not meet the standard for sufficient cause, noting the alleged conduct occurred before her tenure as […]
Federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook 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 »
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
Is the real estate industry getting its antitrust enforcement wish? Read More »
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
Former DOJ official blames lobbyist for weaker antitrust scrutiny Read More »
Nearly a year has passed since the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement business practice changes went into effect and the doomsday predictions have yet to pan out. Homebuyers and sellers are still hiring real estate agents to help them with their real estate transactions and real estate agents are still getting
Agents are still being compensated, but how they are is evolving Read More »
UBS Group said on Monday that it will pay $300 million to settle lingering obligations tied to a Credit Suisse deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over the sales of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). UBS inherited the obligations when it acquired Credit Suisse in a 2023 rescue arranged by Swiss regulators. The bank
UBS will pay $300M to settle Credit Suisse case Read More »
If you are familiar with ThePLS.com’s original antitrust suit filed in 2020 against the National Association of Realtors over NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), reading the new suit filed Tuesday might give you déjà vu. In its 31-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the PLS notes that “Paragraphs 1-121 of this
Do you get déjà vu? The PLS sues NAR — again Read More »
The appraisal industry shed no tears when the Trump administration sought to undo the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Interagency Taskforce, the federal effort to investigate racial bias in appraisals implemented by former President Joe Biden. But that doesn’t mean appraisers have seen the end of federal regulation and litigation around appraisals, or the
Trump’s assault on DEI hasn’t ended federal efforts to stop appraisal bias Read More »
The settlement agreement between MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) and the Nosalek commission lawsuit plaintiffs has been granted preliminary approval for a second time. Judge Patti B. Saris of U.S. District Court in Boston granted preliminary approval to the fourth amended settlement agreement between the MLS defendant and the home seller plaintiffs at a
MLS PIN settlement gains preliminary approval … again Read More »
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has withdrawn its objection to MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN)’s preliminary settlement of the Nosalek commission lawsuit after the two sides negotiated amended terms. In a court filing on Thursday, MLS PIN and the plaintiffs disclosed that the former will prohibit offers of cooperative compensation on its platform, which
DOJ withdraws objection to MLS PIN settlement, clearing the way for preliminary approval Read More »