Maurice Muhammad alleges a “monopoly” by NAR, the state Realtor association and the local MLS limits competition, inflates prices, and disproportionately affects minority brokers and agents.
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A Pennsylvania real estate broker is suing the National Association of Realtors, the state Realtor association and his local multiple listing service for $5.6 million over the requirement that he become a Realtor in order to access the MLS.
On Oct. 16, Maurice Muhammad, broker of record for Progressive Realty in Allentown, filed a lawsuit against NAR, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors and the Greater Lehigh Valley MLS (GLVMLS) “for violations of federal civil rights statutes, unlawful discriminatory practices, violations of federal antitrust laws, breach of contract, and for creating a monopolistic system that imposes forced membership.”
Muhammad filed the suit “pro se,” which means he is representing himself, in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania.
“The forced membership requirement imposed by NAR, PAR, and GLVMLS creates a coercive environment that disproportionately affects minority professionals who lack the financial resources to afford mandatory membership fees,” the complaint says.
“Defendants have used their monopoly over MLS services to prevent the creation of alternative trade organizations, thereby stifling competition and reinforcing their control over the real estate profession.”
Maurice Muhammad
Muhammad is not the only broker to object to the requirement many MLSs have that they join NAR in order to access the MLS. In August, two Michigan real estate brokers and an agent filed a class-action…