Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate.
New York Attorney General investigating Compass over antitrust concerns
The antitrust division of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office is reportedly looking into Compass’s dominance in the New York residential market, and at least one major brokerage has confirmed being contacted as part of the inquiry.
State investigators have apparently contacted leaders at several top New York City brokerages requesting information as part of the inquiry. An executive at a New York City brokerage confirmed the outreach to RISMedia, but declined to detail what information the office requested.
The scrutiny follows Compass’s $1.6 billion acquisition of Anywhere, which closed January 9. The deal made the combined entity the largest residential real estate firm in the country, with more than 330,000 agents affiliated with the combined brokerages and brands.
Judge denies Zillow’s request for additional evidence, extends order keeping Zillow-MRED listings flowing
Judge John Tharp of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, on June 4, granted Zillow’s unopposed motion to extend the temporary restraining order that bars Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) from cutting Zillow’s listing feed and requires Zillow to display a set of previously banned listings.
In a separate order the same day, Tharp denied Zillow’s motion to compel MRED and Compass to answer two disputed interrogatories seeking communications among the companies.
The judge found the written responses unduly burdensome under the case’s expedited discovery schedule, according to the filing.
Tharp added that the ruling does not stop Zillow from questioning the companies’ custodians about those communications during depositions, which are scheduled in the coming days ahead of a July hearing.
Compass seeks to dismiss NWMLS’s countersuit
Compass has asked a federal judge to dismiss the counterclaims brought against it by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), arguing the listing service has not shown any concrete injury to support its claims as Compass simultaneously sues the MLS for alleged “predatory and exclusionary” rules around private listings.
In the filing, Compass defended its marketing strategies and focus on private listings, which NWMLS previously argued harms consumers and additionally devalued its services. “NWMLS offers no substantiating allegations to make its claims of ‘material misrepresentations’ plausible,” Compass wrote.
In response to the motion, an NWMLS spokesperson noted that it “is yet another tactical attempt to evade accountability for practices that undermine the real estate ecosystem.”
“NWMLS will continue protecting the integrity of the shared market data that brokers, appraisers, and consumers rely on daily,” they continued. “Withholding listings and distorting critical marketplace metrics impedes true price discovery, creates a fractured system of shadow inventory, deprives buyers of equal access and deceives both buyers and sellers about the value of a home. We remain entirely confident in our pro-consumer position and will continue to vigorously defend a fair, open, and transparent marketplace.”
Judge denies ex-CEO’s bid to countersue LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance and disqualify its lawyer
A federal magistrate judge, on June 5, denied former LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance CEO Ryan A. Weyandt’s request to countersue the nonprofit and to disqualify its attorney, Richard T. Woods, who he accused of conflicts of interest among other things.
Weyandt, who is representing himself in the case, had sought leave to bring six counterclaims arising from his employment, including allegations that the Alliance cut his salary without a written contract amendment and failed to pay roughly $45,000 in earned severance.
The Alliance sued Weyandt in July 2025 and broadened the case in a January 22 amended complaint to eight counts after he allegedly seized control of the group’s domains, email and financial accounts following his December 2024 resignation. Attorneys for the Alliance have accused Weyandt of dragging out the case with “frivolous” accusations and maneuvers in court.
With the counterclaims barred, the case proceeds on the Alliance’s claims, with dispositive motions due June 22 and trial set for October 19.
