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Sitzer/Burnett

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

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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? 

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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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Are settlement rules pushing down agent commissions? New survey says the opposite

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Few events in recent real estate history have rattled the industry more than the antitrust lawsuits filed against major brokerages and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), accusing them of artificially inflating agent commission rates. NAR settled the Sitzer-Burnett case for $418 million and agreed to rules that the plaintiffs believed would help bring down

Are settlement rules pushing down agent commissions? New survey says the opposite Read More »

MLS PIN settlement gains preliminary approval … again

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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 »