Zillow Settles its ShowingTime Lawsuit

Three MLSs reached a settlement in principle; details still undisclosed

Zillow Group, the online real estate giant, has reached a settlement agreement with three Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) following a lawsuit it had filed in December 2023. The lawsuit was centered around Zillow’s ShowingTime platform, a popular tool used by real estate agents to schedule property tours.

Zillow Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices

According to the lawsuit, Zillow Group had accused the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS), Wisconsin’s Metro MLS, and MLS Aligned (an MLS collaboration) of engaging in anti-competitive practices. It said that the MLSs pressured members to use their own, newly developed tour scheduling platform- Aligned Showings- instead of Zillows’ ShowingTime.

It claimed that this move unfairly affected its platform. In a response to this, two MLS’s lawyers filed a document in February. They claimed that the usage of Aligned Showings had, in fact, increased competition in the marketplace. MLSs also asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit altogether.

Settlement Reached, Details Remain Private

According to a court document filed on June 13, both parties have reached an agreement “in principle”. This will result in the dismissal of all claims once the settlement is finalized. The financial compensation, if any, or any changes made to the platform usage are still under the wraps.
The settlement terms are expected to be finalized in about a month.

This is a developing story. We’ll continue to update it as more information becomes available.