What other case was consolidated with the Moehrl case against Corcoran?
Corcoran Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- Christopher Moehrl, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated v. The National Association of Realtors, Realogy Holdings Corp., HomeServices of America, Inc., Re/Max Holdings, Inc., and Keller Williams Realty, Inc., (Case No. 1:19-cv-01610, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois). On March 6, 2019, plaintiff, Christopher Moehrl, filed a putative class action against Anywhere and the other named defendants. Plaintiff claims that the defendants engaged in a continuing contract, combination, or conspiracy to unreasonably restrain trade and commerce in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, because defendant The National Association of Realtors ("NAR"), established mandatory anticompetitive policies for the MLSs and its member brokers regarding the setting and payment of the buyer broker commission. Plaintiff further alleges that the defendant franchisors conspired with NAR by requiring their respective franchisees to comply with NAR's policies and Code of Ethics. Plaintiff seeks a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from requiring sellers to pay the buyer broker or to otherwise restrict competition among buyer brokers, an award of damages and/or restitution, including treble damages with joint and several liability, attorneys' fees and costs of suit. On April 15, 2019, a related case was filed in the same district against the same defendants, making similar claims and seeking similar relief on behalf of the same potential class. The related case is captioned Sawbill Strategic, Inc. v. The National Association of Realtors, HomeServices of America, Inc., Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Realogy Holdings Corp., and Re/Max Holdings, Inc. (Case No. 1:19-cv-02544, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois). On May 17, 2019, Anywhere and the other defendants filed Motions to Dismiss the Moehrl matter. On June 14, 2019, plaintiffs in the Moehrl and Sawbill matters filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, which consolidated the two Illinois actions and added certain additional plaintiffs and defendants.
Source: Item 3 — LITIGATION (FDD pages 18–25)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Corcoran's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the case of Sawbill Strategic, Inc. v. The National Association of Realtors, HomeServices of America, Inc., Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Realogy Holdings Corp., and Re/Max Holdings, Inc. (Case No. 1:19-cv-02544, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) was consolidated with the Moehrl case. Both cases, filed in the same district against the same defendants, contained similar claims and sought similar relief on behalf of the same potential class.
The original Moehrl case was filed on March 6, 2019, alleging that the defendants violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by engaging in a conspiracy to restrain trade related to buyer broker commissions. The plaintiff claimed that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) established mandatory anticompetitive policies for MLSs and member brokers. It was further alleged that the defendant franchisors, including Corcoran's parent company Anywhere, conspired with NAR by requiring franchisees to comply with NAR's policies and Code of Ethics.
On June 14, 2019, the plaintiffs in both the Moehrl and Sawbill matters filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, formally combining the two Illinois actions and adding additional plaintiffs and defendants. This consolidation meant that the legal proceedings for both cases were merged, streamlining the litigation process. For Corcoran franchisees, this highlights the importance of understanding and adhering to fair competition laws and the potential legal ramifications of NAR's policies.