by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Nov 19 – The real estate listing giant Zillow faces a hearing this week in which Compass seeks a preliminary injunction against a policy Zillow says is for transparency.
A Zillow spokesperson said, "While Americans are struggling to access and afford housing, Compass wants to hide available listings from the public. Real estate works when it's fair, equal, open and transparent, so Zillow is defending that transparency — and we're not backing down."
The irony is that nearly every filing in the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which Inner City Press closely covers, is sealed.
Days before the PI hearing sent for November 18-21 before Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, Zillow's outside counsel at Wilson Sonsini wrote in that documents should not be shown, as plaintiff's counsel at Crowell & Moring request, to Compass' CEO and CLO, saying that "there is plainly no First Amendment right to access... unless and until the documents are used in judicial decision making."
Redfin, which has a policy similar to Zillow's, is in the case, represented by Davis Wright Tremaine.
In a November 17 conference they pushed to keep documents sealed and it emerged that half an hour at the end of each hearing day will be sealed, with some presumptively judicial documents being emailed to Chambers, not even docketed.
On November 19 Inner City Press covered the hearing on Bluesky and Threads (its main X is still hacked without Support), as now Zillow's CEO Jeremy Wacksman was asked his call with Glenn Kelman, the CEO of Redfin which Wacksman described as a partner. Much could hinge on this. Inner City Press is covering the case.
More on Substack here
It is Compass, Inc. v. Zillow, Inc., et al., 1:25-cv-5201 (Vargas)
More (Nov 18) on Substack here
More (Nov 17) on Substack here
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