In early January 2025, Carla DeYoung, Tammy Jo Williams, Darlene Currie, and Carlos Alvarez filed a lawsuit in Louisiana. The lawsuit named several defendants including NAR, the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors (GBRAR), New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors, Bayou Board of Realtors, Greater Central Louisiana Realtors Association, Realtor Association of Acadiana, Louisiana Realtors, ROAM MLS, and Kenneth Damann from GBRAR.
The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants have engaged in unlawful tying arrangements, forcing membership in Realtor associations to access MLS data, creating a barrier to trade.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs criticized NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement agreement and expressed distress over the handling of the Sitzer/Burnett suit and the resulting business practice changes.
“The plaintiffs’ claims cover antitrust, First Amendment violations, Fair Housing Act violations, and common law torts. They also challenge a court-approved class action settlement, but fail to provide sufficient supporting facts for their claims,” the filing stated.
The defendants argued that the plaintiffs’ objection to the ROAM MLS policy requiring Realtor association membership for platform access does not constitute an antitrust claim, nor does it involve constitutional or fair housing law violations.
Additionally, the defendants viewed the plaintiffs’ criticism of NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement agreement as an “improper collateral attack.”
“These allegations lack legal basis and are disconnected from any potential violation,” the motion asserted.
The defendants also pointed out that while the plaintiffs deemed ROAM MLS access as “essential” for their work, some had reportedly terminated their memberships.