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Homie Technologies on Wednesday notified the U.S. District Court in Utah that it was voluntarily dismissing Keller Williams from its antitrust suit.
Keller Williams was dismissed with prejudice, preventing Homie from refiling the suit. However, in its filing Homie notes that “this notice of dismissal does not in any way apply to or affect Homie’s claims in the Action against any of the other Defendants, which remain pending.”
No reason for the dismissal was given in the filing.
In mid-October 2024, Keller Williams, along with other defendants National Association of Realtors (NAR), Anywhere Real Estate, HomeServices of America and RE/MAX filed motions to dismiss the suit.
Originally filed in mid-August 2024, the lawsuit alleges that Homie was harmed by the anticompetitive practices of NAR and the brokerage defendants. In the complaint, Homie claimed it filed the suit to “recover the damages … suffered as an excluded competitor foreclosed by the Defendants’ conduct from effective competition in the relevant market.”
As a flat-fee brokerage, Homie charged sellers a flat fee to list their property on the MLS. While Homie sellers typically offered buyer agent compensation, the firm said these amounts were usually lower compared to offers by sellers working with traditional brokers. Due to this, Homie alleges that local brokers and agents boycotted Homie and its listings, contributing to some of its financial distress.
In its motion to dismiss, Keller Williams claimed that Homie is trying to “piggyback on antitrust lawsuits previously brought against Keller Williams by home sellers and buyers.” Additionally, Keller Williams claimed that the messages and posts Homie cited in its complaint were not indicative of a conspiracy.
In early October 2024, Homie voluntarily dismissed Wasatch Front Regional MLS, which does business as UtahRealEstate.com, from the suit. However, it was dismissed without prejudice meaning that Homie could file a suit with identical claims against Wasatch Front Regional MLS.
