Realtor association hit with new antitrust lawsuit over ‘pocket listings’

By Mike Scarcella

July 1 (Reuters) - In the latest lawsuit accusing the National Association of Realtors of stifling the real estate market, a home-listing platform said on Tuesday that the organization illegally restricts how houses are marketed for sale in the United States.

Home platform PLS.com said in its lawsuit in the federal court in the Central District of California that the trade group violated U.S. antitrust law by forcing brokers to list homes on regional databases known as multiple listing services.

PLS said it wants to allow brokers to privately share “pocket listings” on its platform that are not otherwise shown first on the association-affiliated listing services. PLS said there has been a surge in demand for pocket listings in Miami, San Francisco, Washington and other markets.

The lawsuit said antitrust law prohibits the association from enforcing a “clear cooperation policy” requiring agents who want to list a home on PLS’s platform to also include it on a multiple listing service.

An agreement between PLS and the realtors association pausing their dispute amid informal settlement discussions expired on June 30, according to a filing that accompanied the lawsuit.

In a statement, the National Association of Realtors said it was in discussions with PLS to extend their agreement before the company withdrew.

The realtor association said its cooperation policy “promotes transparency and competition in the real estate marketplace.”

A lawyer for PLS declined to comment.

PLS said its model was seen as a threat by the realtors trade group and affiliated listing services.

PLS last year settled its claims in an earlier lawsuit against three regional online platforms that list homes for sale in states including California, New Jersey and Illinois.

The realtors association is battling other lawsuits over rules for commission payments that long have been part of the residential real estate market.

Last year the group agreed to pay $418 million to resolve claims that it conspired with brokerages to inflate commissions that home sellers pay for residential real estate sales. The association has denied any wrongdoing.

The case is ThePLS.com LLC v. The National Association of Realtors, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:25-cv-05971.

For plaintiff: Christopher Renner of Dhillon Law Group

For defendant: No appearance yet

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