U
.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough has given final approval to settlements from nine defendants in the Gibson/Umpa commissions case. The lead attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Ketchmark, confirmed the approval via text message on October 31. This milestone brings the total settlement fund to over $1 billion.

    The nine brokerages will pay a combined $110 million into the settlement fund. Compass is paying $57.5 million, while Redfin and The Real Brokerage each contribute $9.25 million. Other defendants include Realty ONE Group ($5 million), Douglas Elliman ($7.75 million plus up to $10 million more in contingent payments), @properties ($6.5 million), Engel & Völkers ($6.9 million), HomeSmart ($4.7 million), and United Real Estate ($3.75 million).

    The approval comes on the one-year anniversary of a landmark verdict in the Sitzer/Burnett case, which led to the filing of the Gibson case and its subsequent combination with Umpa. Despite some objections from plaintiffs in other cases and individual home sellers, Judge Bough has given final approval.

    With these settlements approved, the National Association of Realtors and HomeServices of America are next up for final settlement hearings on November 26. Their proposed settlements total $668 million, bringing the total to over $700 million when including MLSs and brokerages that have opted into the agreement.