An alleged agent boycott revives antitrust questions the industry thought it had settled

REX Real Estate is no stranger to litigation, attempting to take its dismissed antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow to the Supreme Court in 2025, an attempt that ultimately failed. Now, the since shuttered discount brokerage finds itself as the defendant in an antitrust suit. On Monday, plaintiffs Jon and Cassi Anderson are suing real estate agent Kelly Connor Young, her brokerage, The Platinum Group and REX Real Estate, claiming that Young threatened to organize a boycott of their home because they listed it through REX in 2019. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado Springs. REX did not advertise its properties on the MLS as it was not a member of Realtor associations or MLSs, and it did not offer buyer broker compensation. According to the complaint, this threat restricted competition, potentially discouraged buyer agents from showing their property and contributed to a delayed sale and financial losses. The complaint details a call allegedly made by Young to REX in which she says she “won’t bother to show [the property]” and she will “make sure and tell people not to work with” REX due to the lack of buyer broker compens...