Keller Williams Realty has agreed to pay at least $90 million to settle a wave of antitrust lawsuits over how real estate commissions are set, resolving claims from home sellers for $70 million and a separate homebuyer case for $20 million. The seller-side deal has final court approval but is on hold pending appeal. The homebuyer settlement is still awaiting approval, and eligible buyers have until August 25, 2026 to file a claim.
What the Lawsuits Alleged
Every case against Keller Williams turned on the same claim: that a National Association of Realtors rule required home sellers, as a condition of listing on a Multiple Listing Service, to make a blanket offer of compensation to the buyer’s agent. Plaintiffs argued this “participation rule” was a conspiracy to fix commissions, because sellers had no practical choice but to pay both agents, and the rule discouraged price competition across the industry.
Keller Williams was named alongside Anywhere Real Estate (formerly Realogy), RE/MAX, and HomeServices of America. Plaintiffs alleged the companies enforced the rule through their franchise networks and shaped NAR policy through board and committee seats held by their representatives.
The $70 Million Home-Seller Settlement
The seller-side reckoning came in Burnett v. National Association of Realtors, filed in 2019 in the Western District of Missouri. On October 31, 2023, a Kansas City jury found the defendants liable for conspiring to fix commissions and awarded $1.78 billion in damages.
Keller Williams moved to settle rather than continue post-verdict fights. On February 1, 2024, it filed a $70 million settlement in federal courts in Missouri and Illinois, resolving all home-seller commission claims nationwide. The agreement covered the Burnett, Moehrl, Nosalek, and Umpa cases at once.
Judge Stephen R. Bough granted final approval on May 9, 2024, alongside settlements with Anywhere Real Estate ($83.5 million) and RE/MAX ($55 million). The court dismissed all 12 objections and approved attorney fees at roughly one-third of the fund, citing $13 million in costs incurred by plaintiffs’ counsel.
The filing deadline for seller claims was May 9, 2025. Claims are administered by JND Legal Administration through RealEstateCommissionLitigation.com. Individual payouts will depend on the number of valid claims and the commissions each claimant paid, drawn from a combined pool of $208.5 million across the Keller Williams, Anywhere, and RE/MAX settlements after fees and administrative costs.
Why Seller Payments Are Delayed
Even with final approval, seller-side benefits cannot be distributed yet. Class members who objected filed appeals with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals starting May 31, 2024. Oral arguments before a three-judge panel took place on January 14, 2026, and a decision is expected by late spring or early summer of 2026. Until the appeals are resolved, the money stays put.
The $20 Million Homebuyer Settlement
Keller Williams also faced a separate lawsuit from the buyer side. Mya Batton v. National Association of Realtors, filed in January 2021 in the Northern District of Illinois and amended in July 2022, was brought on behalf of homebuyers who alleged NAR’s commission-sharing policies inflated the prices they paid for homes.
Keller Williams became the first defendant to settle the Batton claims, signing a $20 million agreement on January 20, 2026. RE/MAX followed with an $8.5 million settlement on March 22, 2026, bringing the combined Batton resolution to $28.5 million.
The Keller Williams buyer settlement does not require any new business-practice changes beyond those already imposed by the earlier NAR settlement.
How to File a Homebuyer Claim
Both Batton settlements are awaiting court approval, but the claims process is already underway. The key dates:
- Deadline to opt out or file objections: June 23, 2026
- Fairness hearing: July 28, 2026
- Deadline to submit a claim form: August 25, 2026
Eligible claimants include anyone who bought residential real estate listed on an MLS in the United States during the applicable state-specific statutory period through April 14, 2026. Claims are filed at HomeBuyerLitigation.com, and questions can go to 1-800-329-4562.
How Commissions Work Now
The NAR settlement produced structural changes that took effect on August 17, 2024. Anyone buying or selling a home is likely to encounter them:
- MLS listings can no longer publish offers of compensation to buyer brokers. The old practice of bundling the buyer-agent fee into the listing is gone.
- Agents working with buyers must sign a written agreement with the buyer before touring any home. The agreement has to state the agent’s compensation in specific, non-open-ended terms.
- All listing and buyer agreements must include a conspicuous disclosure that broker commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable.
- If a listing broker offers to pay a buyer’s agent, the seller must affirmatively approve that payment.
NAR has said these practice changes remain in effect regardless of how the Eighth Circuit rules on the pending appeals.
The Bigger Picture
Keller Williams is one defendant among many. NAR settled for $418 million and HomeServices of America for $250 million, both receiving final approval on November 26, 2024. A further consolidated case, Gibson v. National Association of Realtors, is set for trial in 2027 and includes Keller Williams among its defendants along with Compass, eXp World Holdings, Redfin, Weichert, United Real Estate, Howard Hanna, and Douglas Elliman. Nine Gibson defendants reached a combined $110.6 million settlement approved on November 4, 2024, and additional settlements of roughly $20 million were approved in mid-2025. Across all the related litigation, settlements now exceed $1 billion.
A Keller Williams spokesperson described the $70 million seller-side deal as a step to protect individual agents and franchisees from further copycat lawsuits and to provide stability after the October 2023 verdict.