A settlement has been reached between Zillow Group and three multiple listing service organizations in a lawsuit involving the company’s ShowingTime product, as noted in a court document filed on June 13. The defendants in the lawsuit included Arizona Regional MLS, Wisconsin’s Metro MLS, and MLS Aligned, which developed Aligned Showings. Zillow had originally filed the lawsuit in December, claiming that the removal of ShowingTime from ARMLS and Metro MLS in favor of Aligned Showings led to a monopoly in those regions. The settlement agreement, once finalized, is expected to result in the dismissal of the claims.
Zillow alleged that rather than competing on the merits, MLS Aligned conspired to remove the ShowingTime integration in favor of Aligned Showings, despite Zillow offering ShowingTime access for free in those markets. According to Zillow’s Chief Industry Development Officer Errol Samuelson, the company had attempted to work with ARMLS and Metro MLS to keep ShowingTime as an additional option for agent members, but the MLSs declined all offered alternatives. The other member MLSs in the Aligned network, including RMLS in Oregon, Northern Nevada Regional MLS, UtahRealEstate.com, MLSListings in Northern California, and BeachesMLS in Florida, were not involved in the lawsuit.
Attorneys for the two MLSs argued in their response that the introduction of a new management platform, Aligned Showings, actually promotes competition in the marketplace. They dismissed the idea that the loss of integration contracts by ShowingTime in a national market of numerous MLSs should be the basis for antitrust liability. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, with the court document indicating that the agreement is nearly complete and will be finalized in approximately a month. Both Zillow and ARMLS declined to provide further comments while the settlement is being finalized.
The lawsuit between Zillow Group and the three multiple listing service organizations centered around the use of the ShowingTime product and the development of the Aligned Showings platform. Zillow had accused the defendant MLSs of creating a monopoly by removing ShowingTime and implementing Aligned Showings, while the MLSs argued that introducing a new management platform enhanced competition in the market. The agreement in principle to settle the lawsuit is expected to lead to the dismissal of the claims once finalized.
The court document filed in June indicated that Zillow Group and the defendant MLSs have reached an agreement in principle to settle the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and the finalization of the agreement is anticipated to occur within a month. Zillow had previously attempted to work with ARMLS and Metro MLS to keep ShowingTime as an option for their agent members, but the MLSs opted to move forward with Aligned Showings. The lawsuit highlighted the competitive landscape in the real estate industry and the impact of integrating different platforms for agent use.
Overall, the settlement agreement reached between Zillow Group and the multiple listing service organizations, including ARMLS, Metro MLS, and MLS Aligned, is intended to bring an end to the legal dispute over the use of the ShowingTime product and the implementation of Aligned Showings. The resolution of the lawsuit is expected to have implications for the real estate industry regarding competition and the integration of technology platforms for agent use. The terms of the settlement have not been made public, and both Zillow and ARMLS have refrained from providing additional comments until the settlement is finalized.
