Multiple lawsuits against RealPage Inc for allegedly colluding with property managers to maintain inflated rental prices will be combined and heard in a Nashville federal court, as directed by the US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
Lawsuits were filed against RealPage and other defendants in various locations, including Seattle, Boston, Colorado, and New York, primarily by renters of multifamily apartments over a period of several months.
Related: RealPage Hit With More Market Domination Antitrust Suits
RealPage attempted consolidation of complaints in federal court in Texas, their home state. However, some plaintiffs argued that the Washington state federal court should be the forum. Meanwhile, plaintiffs in three cases showed support for the Middle District of Tennessee, based in Nashville.
The panel overseeing multiple districts has instructed that 21 cases be transferred to Chief US District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr, a federal court appointee from the Obama era who has been serving since 2017.
The multidistrict litigation panel deemed Nashville federal court as geographically central and accessible for the national litigation.
The panel assigned the litigation to an infrequently used venue for multidistrict cases, with an experienced judge who has not yet overseen such a litigation.
Messages seeking comment were not immediately responded to by a representative from RealPage and a lawyer for the company from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
