The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate.
Appeal filed in dismissed antitrust lawsuit against NAR
Maurice Muhammad, a Pennsylvania broker who in October 2024 filed an antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), had his case dismissed with prejudice in August 2025 (meaning the case cannot be refiled). Despite this, Muhammad has now filed for an appeal on that dismissal as of August 26.
Muhammad’s claims are largely consistent with other antitrust claims against NAR, i.e., allegations that NAR and other real estate associations engaged in price-fixing and steering, with MLS access contingent on association membership supposedly being a tool of monopoly.
Judge Joseph F. Leeson ruled that Muhammad’s allegations were “conclusory” and that “Muhammad has…failed to sufficiently allege that the membership requirement to access the MLS imposed an unreasonable restraint on trade.”
“NAR believes that the Court correctly dismissed this case with prejudice. NAR’s policies foster competition and are not discriminatory,” said an NAR spokesperson to RISMedia. “The Association’s integrated structure is essential to the value we provide our members, including a unified voice on policy issues, a uniform Code of Ethics and important tools and professional development opportunities that help members get to, and execute, their next transaction. We will continue to make our case on appeal.”
A similar Texas lawsuit was also dismissed in July 2025 on the grounds that its claims failed to offer proof of antitrust violations.
Zillow begins removing copyrighted images
In July 2025, CoStar filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Zillow, claiming that the platform had been displaying at least 47,000 images copyrighted by CoStar and thus profiting off of CoStar’s work.
As of September 2025, Zillow has begun removing the images at the center of the lawsuit. A Zillow spokesperson shared with RISMedia that this was “standard operating procedure” due to the lawsuit, and this suit was the first time Zillow had been informed of the possible copyright infringement.
CoStar General Counsel Gene Boxer instead claimed that, “this belated scramble also proves that Zillow has always had the power to decide what shows up on its sites. It chose to infringe because it made money doing so.”
While many of the photos were uploaded to Zillow by its users, Boxer claimed that the company “negligently” allowed them to remain on the portal despite its ability to remove them.
Zillow will be reaching out to customers affected by the image removal to get them new images to display for their listing, the Zillow spokesperson claimed. The company also intends to fully defend itself from CoStar’s allegations moving forward.
Department of Justice launches investigation into Fed Governor
On Tuesday, August 26, President Donald Trump attempted to fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, following accusations of mortgage fraud against her by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte. Cook has thus far refused to accept the firing as legitimate “just cause” under which a president can remove a Fed board member.
Subsequently, on Thursday, September 4, the Department of Justice (DOJ) was reported to have opened an investigation into Cook and issued subpoenas. The alleged fraud being investigated centers around Cook misrepresenting her “primary residence,” claiming both a property in Atlanta, Georgia, and one in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as her primary residence to receive lower mortgage rates on each. Another issue is her claiming a Cambridge, Massachusetts, property as a second home while drawing rental income from it.
An additional controversy surrounding the situation is Fed independence from the president; Trump has repeatedly called on the Fed to cut interest rates. If Cook is replaced, a majority of the Fed board would be Trump appointees.
This piece was updated with comments from NAR on the Muhammad case appeal on September 9 at 10:27 AM EST.
