Key facts
- Zillow filed a supplemental brief accusing MRED and Compass of conspiring to terminate its listing data feeds.
- Compass and MRED countered that Zillow's alleged harm is self-inflicted due to its own Listing Access Standards.
- Zillow's lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent MRED from suspending its listing data feeds.
- The dispute centers on Zillow's policy that bans listings from its platform if they are not available on IDX or VOW feeds within one business day of public marketing.
- MRED previously suspended Zillow's feed access but a temporary restraining order restored it.
Legal proceedings are ongoing between Zillow, Compass, and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) regarding access to Chicagoland listing data. Zillow has filed a supplemental brief accusing MRED and Compass of an "unlawful conspiracy" to block its access to listing data, alleging they revised display rules and discouraged direct broker feeds. Zillow argues that losing access to MRED's nearly all Chicagoland listings would cause irreparable harm and trigger a "downward spiral" of lost audience and revenue.
In response, Compass and MRED filed a joint brief asserting that Zillow's alleged harm is "self-inflicted." They contend that Zillow's own Listing Access Standards policy, which bans listings previously marketed outside the MLS, is the anticompetitive conduct. The defendants argue that Zillow's policy discourages transparency by encouraging listings to be kept secret. They also maintain that Compass and MRED acted independently and did not conspire to suspend Zillow's data feeds, but rather wanted Zillow to stop banning and misrepresenting listings.
The litigation stems from Zillow's broader antitrust lawsuit. A preliminary injunction motion requires Zillow to demonstrate irreparable harm and a likelihood of prevailing at trial. MRED had suspended Zillow's feed access on May 20, but a temporary restraining order quickly restored it. The core of the dispute lies in Zillow's Listing Access Standards, which mandate that listings must be available on IDX or VOW feed-powered websites within one business day of public marketing. This policy affects listings Compass markets as private exclusives before making them public via the MLS. Zillow views its policy as pro-competitive and beneficial for consumers due to transparency, while MRED argues its rules are neutral and align with a 2008 DOJ settlement preventing MLSs from selectively hiding listings from consumer portals. The court is currently considering the briefs, with replies due Monday.