HousingWireHousingWire
While the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was dismissed from three antitrust lawsuits this summer, the trade group is now facing three appeals.
Plaintiff Maurice Muhammad appealed the dismissal of his suit in a filing on Friday. He joins Homie Technologies and Luz de Amor Eytalis in appealing the dismissals of their respective lawsuits.
Muhammad’s suit was dismissed with prejudice earlier this. month by a U.S. District Court judge in Pennsylvania. Because the suit was dismissed with prejudice, the plaintiff’s only option to have his claims heard again is through an appeal.
The suit was initially filed in October 2024 by Maurice Muhammad, a broker at Progressive Realty. He claims that NAR, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors and association executives have violated federal civil rights statutes, engaged in unlawful discriminatory practices and breached their contracts. Additionally, he alleges the creation of a monopolistic system and violations of federal antitrust laws. Muhammad was representing himself pro se in the case.
In his ruling granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss, Judge Joseph F. Leeson wrote that Muhammad has only made “bare and conclusory allegations” that the defendants had engaged in price fixing or steering.
Additionally, Leeson did not find that Muhammad had “sufficiently” alleged that restricting MLS access to Realtor members “imposed an unreasonable restraint on trade.”
In an emailed statement, a NAR spokesperson wrote that the trade group believes the court was correct in dismissing the suit.
“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,” the spokesperson added.