The US Justice Department has requested permission from a federal appeals court to continue their antitrust investigation on the National Association of Realtors. This request follows a trial judge’s ruling that a previous settlement prevents a new inquiry.
The Justice Department filed a document in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday, stating that a lower court judge ignored the terms of a previous settlement and made an unusual ruling that prevented a subpoena for information from the country’s biggest trade association.
Related: SCOTUS Rejects National Association Of Realtors’ Antitrust Appeal
According to Reuters, the Justice Department’s antitrust division expressed concern to the appeals court that the subpoena delay was hindering an important investigation into conduct that impacts over 100 billion dollars in annual broker fees paid by Americans.
In a statement on Monday, Mantill Williams, a spokesperson for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) based in Chicago, expressed concern over the Department of Justice’s decision to reopen an investigation that was previously closed over two years ago.
In 2021, the real estate group filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department. This was in response to the Department’s decision to withdraw from the prior settlement, which was intended to allow for a more comprehensive investigation into NAR’s rules and conduct.
