Compass and Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) are locked in a heated discovery dispute as the real estate giant’s antitrust lawsuit against the regional MLS moves forward, according to recent court filings.
The lawsuit, filed by Compass back in the spring, alleges that NWMLS leveraged its rules to undermine Compass’s private listing-focused strategy. NWMLS has denied this, saying its policies—analogous but not identical to Clear Cooperation—are meant to promote transparency.
Compass filed a motion to compel on Dec. 5, seeking to force NWMLS to produce documents; the company argues that NWMLS has repeatedly delayed production of custodial documents and failed to adequately respond to interrogatories since discovery began in June.
NWMLS has “repeatedly ignored Compass’s requests” to confer on discovery issues, Compass claimed in its motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
NWMLS responded on Dec. 22, saying Compass’s motion to compel should be denied “because there is nothing to compel,” and adding that it “amounts to a waste of judicial and party resources.”
“NWMLS has already addressed or agreed to all of Compass’s demands. There is nothing to compel,” NWMLS attorneys wrote, noting that the organization has been producing documents since Aug. 28. “Compass’s mischaracterization of the facts and process is disappointing, at best, and an attempt to mislead the Court, at worst.”
This comes as the MLS recently signaled its intent to countersue Compass, just three weeks ago, if the judge allows Compass’s lawsuit to move forward.
In that same motion, filed Dec. 5, both parties jointly requested an extension to the case schedule, pushing the jury trial date from June 8, 2026 to Oct. 7, 2026.
