Compass seeks dismissal with prejudice of Manhattan rental listings antitrust suit
Compass has asked a federal court in New York to dismiss a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing Manhattan rental listings, reported Nov. 12, 2026.
Compass has asked a federal court in New York to dismiss an amended antitrust complaint that accuses the brokerage of monopolizing rental listings in Manhattan. HousingWire and MLex reported the motion on Nov. 12, 2026. The motion seeks dismissal with prejudice, which would bar the claims from being refiled.
The suit is a proposed class action. HousingWire reports that the motion was filed on a Tuesday. The case centres on Compass's early-August decision to pull rental listings from StreetEasy, a rental search site, which the complaint says reduced renter choice and pushed up rents and brokerage fees.
What Compass argues in its motion
Compass argues that the suit confuses the for-sale housing market with the rental market, and that the data it cites concerns for-sale homes. It says it does not own rental properties or set rental prices.
It also says Zillow and StreetEasy dominate the online listing-search market, and that it has no legal obligation to share its listings with platforms such as StreetEasy. Compass contends it lacks monopoly power in rental listings.
Compass says rental inventory in New York City began falling seven months before its acquisition of Anywhere, and more than a year before it told agents to pull StreetEasy listings. It attributes the drop to the city's FARE Act, which took effect in June 2025. Compass also argues the plaintiffs have not defined a relevant market or shown actual market harm, and it asks the court to stay discovery.
What the plaintiffs allege
The amended complaint alleges that Compass built its position through acquisitions and used it against rivals, including Zillow. MLex summarizes three practices: acquiring nearly all of its rivals, posting units on private exclusive lists, and relisting units on its own platform.
The plaintiffs are described as a class of smaller brokerages, agents and local consumers. e-a-a.com says they allege Compass attempted to monopolize the market by forcing exclusive listing agreements and manipulating database access to squeeze out rivals.
Real Estate News reports that the refiled complaint attributes inflated rents to reduced competition and to the broker's fee renters must pay. It says a price gap, or a portion of it, would not have existed but for the severe reduction in public StreetEasy listings.
What the dispute covers for renters and brokers
For renters, the complaint links the listings question to cost. It says the pull from StreetEasy reduced the public listings renters could see, and that rents and brokerage fees rose as a result. Compass points instead to the timing of the inventory decline and to the FARE Act, and the suit describes the decline as following from the pull.
For brokers, the case concerns exclusive listing agreements and access to listing databases, which the suit says were used to push out rivals. Compass says its growth comes from innovation and service quality, not exclusion.
“Compass argues that the suit confuses the for-sale housing market with the rental market.”
Where the case stands as of Nov. 12
The first complaint was filed Aug. 19, 2026. On Aug. 22, plaintiffs Peter Castaneda and Haley Gelfand dismissed their claims with prejudice, and a refiled complaint was filed the same day by a new plaintiff, Charles Lieberman.
As of the Nov. 12 reports, the court had not ruled on the motion to dismiss. Compass had also asked the court to stay discovery. Plaintiffs must respond to the motion by Dec. 8, 2026, according to a court docket notice cited by HousingWire.
