DeYoung — Louisiana MLS Antitrust

Brokers Carla DeYoung and Carlos Alvarez, along with agents Tammy Jo Williams and Darlene Currie, allege that NAR, the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors (GBRAR), the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR), ROAM MLS, and other Louisiana-based defendants engaged in anticompetitive and exclusionary practices by conditioning access to MLS data and MLS-related platforms on compulsory membership in local, state, and national Realtor associations. The plaintiffs — who include both brokers and agents — argue this bundled membership requirement constitutes an illegal tying arrangement that forecloses competition and forces practitioners to pay dues to organizations they may not wish to join in order to access the MLS tools essential to their business.

Original federal antitrust and Fair Housing Act claims were dismissed without prejudice in late March 2026 based on the Magistrate Judge's report and recommendations. In late April 2026, the federal court granted plaintiffs' motion to file a second amended complaint, giving them another opportunity to replead the dismissed federal claims. NAR stated it 'supports pro-competitive, pro-consumer local broker marketplaces' and that 'each local MLS sets their own requirements for determining access to the platform.' The case is one of several parallel MLS membership challenges filed across the country in 2024–2025, suggesting a coordinated litigation strategy targeting the bundled membership model.