Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate.
CRMLS-affiliated vendor REcore and CoStar lawsuit quickly resolved
CRMLS, the second-largest MLS in the country sued CoStar on Oct. 21 over a dispute related to an alleged breach of contract with its licensing vendor REcore Solutions LLC. CRMLS claimed that CoStar failed to pay for data, alleging that several months of negotiations had not resolved the dispute.
Two days after the lawsuit was filed, however, CRMLS and CoStar jointly announced that an agreement had been reached to renew a long-term agreement and stave off legal action.
“CoStar Group and CRMLS are delighted to continue their long-standing relationship with no interruption in the flow of CRMLS listings to Homes.com,” CRMLS wrote to members.
The quick turnaround comes amid other disputes involving both entities, as CRMLS also told members to remove CoStar media from listings last week over alleged changes to CoStar’s terms of use, but also quickly reversed that decision.
NAR celebrates Supreme Court floor plan affirmation
A protracted legal battle over whether real estate professionals can create and share floor plans when marketing homes finally ended Oct. 22 after the Supreme Court declined to revisit an appellate court’s decision allowing the practice.
The high court’s refusal to hear the case reconfirms the January ruling from the Eighth U.S. District Court of Appeals that found floor plan usage in property listings falls under copyright fair use protections. With this binding precedent now in place, brokerages and agents have the green light to incorporate floor plans in their future marketing plans.
“This decision is great news for anyone looking to buy or sell their home,” Wendell Bullard, chair of the National Association of Realtors®’ (NAR) Legal Action Committee, said in a statement.
Bullard added that the outcome provides crucial liability protection for real estate professionals nationwide.
eXp agent dropped from recruiting lawsuit between bitter rivals
Top eXp team leader Veronica Figueroa was sued earlier this year by three Keller Williams franchises, who alleged that she was part of a scheme to poach agents through a member of her team that formerly worked with Keller Williams.
The lawsuit remains ongoing, however, as Joseph Firmin, the former Keller Williams team leader, is accused of coaxing former colleagues to join the eXp team despite signing a non-solicitation agreement. Firmin allegedly used confidential financial information to “coax” agents to join The Fig Team, led by Figueroa.
Firmin was not listed as a member of The Fig Team on the group’s website as of Monday afternoon.
Editor’s note: this story was updated at 4:50 p.m. eastern time to clarify that REcore, a vendor affilaited with CRMLS, was a party to the CoStar lawsuit.
