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The National Association of Realtors, Keller Williams and HomeServices of America have sued their pants off for a summary judgement from a federal judge in Illinois to escape a trial in the Moehrl case.
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These Mohrl dilemma revolves around various home buyers who claim to have been overcharged for broker commissions.
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The mentioned companies argue they didn’t do no wrong, and state the lawsuit lacks evidence, cherry-picks regulations and misinterprets reality. Sounds like a Hollywood twist plot, doesn’t it?
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They dismiss claims that they conspired to inflate commission rates as “conspiracy theories,” batting their eyelashes and reassuring they’ve been good corporate citizens.
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Housing affordability advocates aren’t buying into this soap opera though, announcing “we’re not finished yet.”. They believe these companies are as innocent as The Big Wolf in Grandma’s clothing.
And now for my
Hot Take
So here we have a classic David vs Goliath, in the grand ole tradition of business mumbo-jumbo and moolah meandering legal matches. The Moehrl case is a shining example of corporate giants bending over backwards (or sideways, depending on your perspective) to avoid a well-deserved day in court. The claims of overcharging and commission inflation sound like something out of a Dickensian novel, except there’s no Scrooge to blame here.
Is the lawsuit lacking in evidence, cherry-picking, and misinterpreting reality? Or are these corporate mainstays simply flexing their well-practiced muscles of denial and dismissiveness? I’d wager it’s more of the latter than the former, yet time will tell if it will be a knockout in round 1 or a 15-round dogfight.
As this roller-coaster legal saga continues, some are left wondering if our housing market is actually “for sale” or if it’s just another Monopoly board for these real estate tycoons. And as far as conspiracy theories go, well, who doesn’t like a good thriller?
In the end, it’s the homebuyers who are caught in the middle of this – jerked around like puppets in some high-stakes melodrama. Here’s hoping the Illinois judge rules with wisdom and fairness – or at least more than what’s been shown in this farcical boxing match!
As they say in the gritty world of real estate – location, location, litigation. I’d add in this case: resolution, resolution…resolution!
Original article: https://www.inman.com/2023/12/20/nar-franchisors-ask-for-summary-judgment-in-moehrl-suit/
