Realtors Held Liable for Inflating Commissions, Face $1.78B in Damages

A U.S. jury has found the National Association of Realtors and several residential brokerages, including Berkshire Hathaway's units, liable for conspiring to inflate commissions for home sales. The jury awarded $1.78 billion in damages, which could potentially be tripled under U.S. antitrust law. The class-action lawsuit was brought by sellers of over 260,000 homes in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois who objected to the commissions they had to pay buyers' brokers. The verdict challenges long-standing practices in the real estate industry and may lead to increased competition and reduced costs for consumers. The defendants, including Berkshire-owned HomeServices of America and Keller Williams, plan to appeal the decision.