H
omie Technology, a Utah-based flat-fee brokerage, is taking its court battle against the National Association of Realtors and four major brokerages to the next level. On August 7, Homie filed an appeal in the U.S. District Court in Utah, challenging Judge Dale Kimball's mid-July decision to dismiss with prejudice allegations of anticompetitive behavior and steering. The case will now proceed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

    The lawsuit, initially filed last summer, accuses NAR, Anywhere Real Estate, Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and HomeServices of America of conspiring against Homie through a boycott scheme. Homie claims that NAR members told clients they wouldn't show their listings because commissions were too low, citing texts and emails as evidence.

    Judge Kimball dismissed the case with prejudice on July 15, ruling that the statute of limitations had expired. He also stated that Homie failed to establish the defendants' participation in the alleged boycott, noting that discussions occurred among individual agents rather than a coordinated effort between NAR members and major brokerages.