DOJ to court: Buyers need to set their agents’ compensation

A statement of interest filed late Thursday by the Department of Justice savages the proposed MLS PIN settlement, and calls out MLSs for limiting competition. Story by Dave Gallagher, Director, News Reporting

Calling the proposed MLS PIN settlement one that only makes "cosmetic changes," the U.S. Department of Justice provided a harsh response that could have implications for the other national buyer agent class action lawsuits.

In its statement of interest, filed in the Nosalek case to the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts Thursday evening, Feb. 15, the DOJ provided some suggestions of what should be in the MLS PIN settlement with the plaintiffs, who are homeowners in the area. One proposal was an injunction "that would prohibit sellers from making commission offers to buyer brokers at all," which would completely change how commissions work. Read Dave's full report...