Judge grants preliminary approval of NAR settlement
A hearing for final approval is scheduled for Nov. 26. The court filing also included information about who is covered in the nationwide class action.
The NAR deal continues to progress in the courts, with the judge signing off on preliminary approval of the NAR commissions settlement today.
The motion for preliminary approval, which was filed by plaintiffs in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on April 19, includes $418 million in damages and changes to some of the organization's rules about real estate agent compensation. The filing on Friday also started the 60-day clock for big brokerages and non-Realtor Multiple Listing Services to opt in to their own settlement.
Preliminary approval granted: U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough said in the April 23 filing that the settlement was "fair, reasonable and adequate."
The approval also included details about the class-action aspect of the case.
While the exact size of the class is hard to pin down, it's substantial, including anyone who sold a home listed on a multiple listing service where a commission was paid to any brokerage in connection with the sale, anywhere in the U.S. The date ranges vary, depending on geography, but generally covers sales that occurred from 2019 to the present.
The court appointed the plaintiffs Rhonda Burnett, Jerod Breit, Jeremy Keel, Hollee Ellis, Frances Harvey, Christopher Moehrl, Michael Cole, Steve Darnell, Jack Ramey, Daniel Umpa, Jane Ruh, Don Gibson, Lauren Criss and John Meiners as the settlement class representatives.
What's next: Potential class members can send objections or comments about the settlement to the court. A hearing for the final approval of the settlement will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 in the Kansas City, Missouri, courtroom.
Meanwhile, a hearing to finalize the settlements for RE/MAX, Keller Williams and Anywhere Real Estate is just weeks away, scheduled for May 9.