Commitments and Contingencies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies	12. Commitments and Contingencies A number of putative class action complaints are pending against the National Association of Realtors (“NAR”), Realogy Holdings Corp., HomeServices of America, Inc., RE/MAX, LLC and Keller Williams Realty, Inc. The first was filed on March 6, 2019, by plaintiff Christopher Moehrl in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The second was filed in the same court on April 15, 2019, by plaintiff Sawbill Strategic, Inc. These two actions have now been consolidated (the “Moehrl Action”). Similar actions have been filed in federal courts: a) by Joshua Sitzer and other plaintiffs in the Western District of Missouri (the “Sitzer Action”); b) by Mark Rubenstein and Jeffery Nolan in the District of Connecticut (the “Rubenstein Action”); c) by plaintiffs Gary Bauman, Mary Jane Bauman, and Jennifer Nosalek in the District of Massachusetts (the “Bauman Action”); and d) by plaintiff Judah Leeder in the Northern District of Illinois (the “Leeder Action”). The complaints make substantially similar allegations and seek substantially similar relief. For convenience, all of these lawsuits are collectively referred to as the “Moehrl-related suits.” In the Moehrl Action, the plaintiffs allege that a NAR rule requires brokers to make a blanket, non-negotiable offer of buyer broker compensation when listing a property, resulting in inflated costs to sellers in violation of federal antitrust law. They further allege that certain defendants use their agreements with franchisees to require adherence to the NAR rule in violation of federal antitrust law. Amended complaints added allegations regarding buyer steering and non-disclosure of buyer-broker compensation to the buyer. While similar to the Moehrl Action, various other lawsuits: allege violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (the Sitzer Action); include a multiple listing service (MLS) defendant (the Bauman Action); allege state antitrust violations (the Sitzer Action and Bauman Action); allege harm to home buyers rather than sellers (the Rubenstein Action and Leeder Action); allege unjust enrichment (the Leeder Action); and/or allege violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) rather than antitrust law (the Rubenstein Action). Among other requested relief, plaintiffs seek damages against the defendants and injunctive relief. In July 2021, the court granted RE/MAX, LLC’s motion to dismiss the Rubenstein Action and ordered the case dismissed with prejudice. The Company intends to vigorously defend against all remaining claims. The Company may become involved in additional litigation or other legal proceedings concerning the same or similar claims. We are unable to predict whether resolution of these matters would have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. On April 9, 2021, a putative class action claim was filed in the Federal Court of Canada against the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (“TRREB”), The Canadian Real Estate Association (“CREA”), RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc. (“RE/MAX OA”), which was acquired by the Company in July 2021 (see Note 14, Subsequent Event, for information), Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership, Brookfield Asset Management Inc., Royal Lepage Real Estate Services Ltd., Homelife Realty Services Inc., Right At Home Realty Inc., Forest Hill Real Estate Inc., Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd., Sotheby's International Realty Canada, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. and IPRO Realty Ltd. by the putative representative plaintiff, Mark Sunderland (the “Plaintiff”). The Plaintiff alleges that the Defendants and their co-conspirators conspired, agreed or arranged with each other to fix, maintain, increase, control, raise, or stabilize the rate of real estate buyers’ brokerages’ and salespersons’ commissions in respect of the purchase and sale of properties listed on TRREB’s multiple listing service system (the “Toronto MLS”); that the Defendants and their co-conspirators acted in furtherance of their conspiracy, agreement or arrangement to fix, maintain, increase, control, raise, or stabilize the rate of real estate buyers’ brokerages’ and salespersons’ commissions in respect of the purchase and sale of properties listed on the Toronto MLS; and violation of Part VI of the Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34 (“Competition Act”). Among other requested relief, Plaintiff seeks damages against the defendants and injunctive relief. RE/MAX OA denies the allegations in the claim and intends to vigorously defend the action.

Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

12. Commitments and Contingencies

A number of putative class action complaints are pending against the National Association of Realtors (“NAR”), Realogy Holdings Corp., HomeServices of America, Inc., RE/MAX, LLC and Keller Williams Realty, Inc. The first was filed on March 6, 2019, by plaintiff Christopher Moehrl in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The second was filed in the same court on April 15, 2019, by plaintiff Sawbill Strategic, Inc. These two actions have now been consolidated (the “Moehrl Action”). Similar actions have been filed in federal courts: a) by Joshua Sitzer and other plaintiffs in the Western District of Missouri (the “Sitzer Action”); b) by Mark Rubenstein and Jeffery Nolan in the District of Connecticut (the “Rubenstein Action”); c) by plaintiffs Gary Bauman, Mary Jane Bauman, and Jennifer Nosalek in the District of Massachusetts (the “Bauman Action”); and d) by plaintiff Judah Leeder in the Northern District of Illinois (the “Leeder Action”). The complaints make substantially similar allegations and seek substantially similar relief. For convenience, all of these lawsuits are collectively referred to as the “Moehrl-related suits.” In the Moehrl Action, the plaintiffs allege that a NAR rule requires brokers to make a blanket, non-negotiable offer of buyer broker compensation when listing a property, resulting in inflated costs to sellers in violation of federal antitrust law. They further allege that certain defendants use their agreements with franchisees to require adherence to the NAR rule in violation of federal antitrust law. Amended complaints added allegations regarding buyer steering and non-disclosure of buyer-broker compensation to the buyer. While similar to the Moehrl Action, various other lawsuits: allege violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (the Sitzer Action); include a multiple listing service (MLS) defendant (the Bauman Action); allege state antitrust violations (the Sitzer Action and Bauman Action); allege harm to home buyers rather than sellers (the Rubenstein Action and Leeder Action); allege unjust enrichment (the Leeder Action); and/or allege violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) rather than antitrust law (the Rubenstein Action). Among other requested relief, plaintiffs seek damages against the defendants and injunctive relief. In July 2021, the court granted RE/MAX, LLC’s motion to dismiss the Rubenstein Action and ordered the case dismissed with prejudice. The Company intends to vigorously defend against all remaining claims. The Company may become involved in additional litigation or other legal proceedings concerning the same or similar claims. We are unable to predict whether resolution of these matters would have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

On April 9, 2021, a putative class action claim was filed in the Federal Court of Canada against the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (“TRREB”), The Canadian Real Estate Association (“CREA”), RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc. (“RE/MAX OA”), which was acquired by the Company in July 2021 (see Note 14, Subsequent Event, for information), Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership, Brookfield Asset Management Inc., Royal Lepage Real Estate Services Ltd., Homelife Realty Services Inc., Right At Home Realty Inc., Forest Hill Real Estate Inc., Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd., Sotheby's International Realty Canada, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. and IPRO Realty Ltd. by the putative representative plaintiff, Mark Sunderland (the “Plaintiff”). The Plaintiff alleges that the Defendants and their co-conspirators conspired, agreed or arranged with each other to fix, maintain, increase, control, raise, or stabilize the rate of real estate buyers’ brokerages’ and salespersons’ commissions in respect of the purchase and sale of properties listed on TRREB’s multiple listing service system (the “Toronto MLS”); that the Defendants and their co-conspirators acted in furtherance of their conspiracy, agreement or arrangement to fix, maintain, increase, control, raise, or stabilize the rate of real estate buyers’ brokerages’ and salespersons’ commissions in respect of the purchase and sale of properties listed on the Toronto MLS; and violation of Part VI of the Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34 (“Competition Act”). Among other requested relief, Plaintiff seeks damages against the defendants and injunctive relief. RE/MAX OA denies the allegations in the claim and intends to vigorously defend the action.