Compass antitrust lawsuit adds new lead plaintiff

Just days after it was initially filed, the antitrust lawsuit alleging that Compass International Holdings has created a monopoly through its acquisitions, which it has used to harm consumers as well as competitors like Zillow when it decided to pull its rental listings from StreetEasy earlier this month, has a new lead plaintiff. On Saturday, attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a proposed amended complaint listing Charles Lieberman as the lead plaintiff, noting that the previous plaintiffs had voluntarily dismissed their claims against Compass. Like the original complaint, the amended complaint claims that Compass’s removal of listings from StreetEasy reduced consumer choice, while also driving up rents and brokerage fees. According to the complaint, ahead of the fall housing market, Compass pushed its agents to delist their properties from the Zillow-owned StreetEasy and instead use the “participant only” designation on the Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) Residential Listing Service (RSL). This designation prevents listings from being syndicated to or displayed on public-facing websites. When asked about this, a Compass spokesperson previously told HousingWire this was a “...