Overview
- A four-day evidentiary hearing began Tuesday in Manhattan before Judge Jeannette Vargas to decide whether to preliminarily enjoin Zillow’s Listings Access Standards.
- Compass CEO Robert Reffkin testified that the policy bullies agents and limits seller choice, casting Zillow’s rules as an attack on innovation tied to Compass’s private‑listing strategy.
- Zillow argued it is enforcing timely MLS availability to keep markets open and transparent and maintained it has no obligation to host listings first marketed off‑MLS, citing higher rates of Compass double‑ended private deals.
- Under Zillow’s rule, listings pre‑marketed outside the MLS can be blocked from the site, and returning to Zillow requires the seller to change agents or brokerage.
- Closing arguments are set for Friday and no ruling timeline has been given, as the clash proceeds alongside a DOJ review of Compass’s planned acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate.