Compass’s claims of collusion and antitrust violations are part of its lawsuit against Zillow in which the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm contends that Zillow’s listing access standards policy, which bans listings that are not available for display on Zillow within one business day of them being publicly marketed, stifles competition and has caused irreparable harm to Compass.
Last week, Compass referenced an Oct. 13, 2025, blog post from Zillow, which noted that since Zillow began notifying agents of non-compliant listings over the summer, roughly 90% of agents who receive a notice only receive one. According to Zillow this shows that the majority of agents want to keep their clients’ listing broadly visible.
However, Compass claims that this shows Zillow used “its immense power to block approximately 90% of the agents from publicly marketing properties off Zillow’s website—something agents across the country were previously doing at their clients’ express request and instruction.”
In its reply, Zillow claims that it has not sought out exclusivity with listings and that no harm has or will come to Compass if these standards are enforced.
“Compass does not and will not face irreparable harm. The evidence shows Compass has continued implementing [three-phased marketing], does not assess Zillow’s Standards to be a material risk, and has misled its agents and clients about how the Standards work,” the filing states. “When Compass agreed to acquire a major competitor, Anywhere, in an all-stock transaction, Compass made no written disclosures that the Standards could pose a risk to Compass’s future performance. Nor has Compass disclosed the Standards as a material risk to investors. Compass cannot tell this Court that it will be irreparably harmed, yet tell investors, agents, and customers the opposite. Compass cannot have it both ways: either the Standards will cause irreparable harm that it has not disclosed to investors or counterparties, or, more likely, there will be no such harm.”
Zillow also pushed back against Compass’s claims that it is a monopoly.
“Compass’s arguments for monopolization fail across the board because Zillow does not have market power in any market for online home search, where barriers to entry are low, and Compass has made no effort to rebut Zillow’s pro-competitive rationales for the Standards,” the filing states.
The listing portal giant also reiterated its argument that it has no “duty to deal” with Compass or its private listings.
“Compass’s claim fails as a matter of law because it rests on Zillow’s refusal to deal with an alleged rival—Compass—on the rival’s preferred terms,” the filing states. “An alleged monopolist has no duty to deal with an alleged rival on any terms.”
Zillow also claims that the injunction threatens its First Amendment rights.
“Compass requests the Court force Zillow to display Compass’ listings contrary to Zillow’s mission, which threatens Zillow’s First Amendment rights and abrogates its freedom to determine the content of its platform,” the filing states.
Hearing next week
The two firms are set to square off next week at a hearing for Compass’s preliminary injunction motion, which seeks to block Zillow from enforcing its listing access standards policy.
Zillow concludes its reply by arguing that if the court grants Compass’s injunction it would be causing harm to consumers, as Zillow feels that forcing it to display Compass’s private listings would fragment the market, mislead consumers, and degrade the quality and transparency of Zillow’s platform.
“The proposed injunction is antithetical to innovation and competition,” the filing states. “164,000 pages of documents, 16 depositions, five interrogatories, and two expert reports have consistently undermined Compass’s PI Motion.
In an emailed statement, a Zillow spokesperson wrote that the company is not backing down from this fight.
“While Americans are struggling to access and afford housing, Compass wants to hide available listings from the public. Hidden listings harm consumers, agents and smaller brokerages; Zillow’s standards protect against that harm,” the spokesperson wrote. “The Compass hidden listings scheme benefits only Compass; Zillow’s standards benefit the entire marketplace. Sellers deserve the widest possible audience, and buyers shouldn’t have to wonder what homes they’re not seeing. Real estate works when it’s fair, equal, open and transparent, so Zillow is defending that transparency.”
Compass did not immediately return HousingWire’s request for comment.
