Antitrust lawsuit filed against National Association of Realtors News
Antitrust lawsuit filed against National Association of Realtors

[JURIST] The Antitrust Division [official website] of the US Department of Justice [official website] on Thursday sued [complaint; press release] the National Association of Realtors [group website], claiming the organization blocked competition by allowing real estate agents to withhold listings from brokers who utilized the Internet when providing customer service. Though the association announced a modified approach Thursday, the new steps failed to fend off the lawsuit. J. Bruce McDonald, deputy assistant attorney general in the Antitrust Division, said the new rules still allow a broker "to target his Web-based competitors" and deprive them of listings. The association claims the new policy, which requires an agent to post all listings online or no listings online, rather than withhold them from specific websites, is sufficient. AP has more.