Zillow faces August antitrust trial

A federal judge in Virginia has refused to give the Federal Trade Commission an early win in its antitrust case over Zillow’s rental-listings partnership with Redfin, leaving the agency to prove its case at trial on August 24. Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia denied the FTC’s motion for partial summary judgment on July 8, according to court coverage by HousingWire and Real Estate News. The ruling does not end the case. (ftc.gov) It means the FTC, Zillow and Redfin will now make a full evidentiary record in court next month. ### What deal is the FTC challenging? (housingwire.com) The FTC sued Zillow and Redfin in September 2025 over what it called an unlawful agreement in the market for online rental housing advertising. The agency says Zillow paid Redfin $100 million in connection with a February 2025 arrangement that made Zillow the exclusive provider of multifamily rental listings on Redfin’s platform. The FTC’s complaint says the arrangement eliminated Redfin as a competitor in internet listing services used by renters and property managers. The agency also alleged the deal violated both antitrust law and Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which governs acquisitions that may lessen competition. (housingwire.com) ### Why did the FTC want summary judgment before trial? The FTC asked the court for partial summary judgment so it could establish part of its case without waiting for trial. Real Estate News reported that the agency wanted the court to treat the Zillow-Redfin arrangement as “presumptively unlawful” before hearing the full evidence. (ftc.gov) Judge Trenga declined to do that. HousingWire reported that the denial keeps the agency from relying on an early presumption and requires it to prove its claims through testimony, documents and economic evidence at trial. Zillow said in a statement after the ruling that the court had cleared the way for it to present its full case. (ftc.gov) ### What is Zillow saying about the partnership? Zillow said the partnership improved efficiency in rental advertising and should be judged on a full factual record. In a company statement, Zillow said the arrangement produced “more efficient marketing” and “more qualified leads,” and said the case should proceed to trial. (realestatenews.com) The company has argued that the FTC’s theory does not match how the rental advertising market actually works. That argument now moves to the center of the August trial, where Zillow and Redfin can contest the FTC’s market definition and the claimed competitive effects. (housingwire.com) ### Why does the August 24 trial matter? August 24 is now the key date because the court will hear the factual dispute the FTC could not resolve on motion practice. HousingWire and other reports say the trial is expected to test whether the government can show that Zillow and Redfin were close competitors and that the deal reduced competition in online apartment listings. (zillow.com) The case also comes after Judge Trenga denied Zillow and Redfin’s motion to dismiss in May 2026. In that earlier ruling, coverage said the court found the complaint plausibly alleged anticompetitive conduct, allowing the FTC’s case to continue into discovery and now trial. (housingwire.com) ### What happens next in court? The Eastern District of Virginia will begin trial on August 24 unless the schedule changes, according to reports published on July 8 and July 9. The FTC is seeking to stop the agreement and has said possible remedies could include divestiture or reconstructing businesses to restore competition. (housingwire.com) Zillow, Redfin and the FTC will use the August proceeding to argue over the structure of the rental-listings market, the role of listing data and whether the 2025 partnership unlawfully removed a competitor. The next public milestone is the start of that trial in federal court in Virginia. (housingwire.com 1) (housingwire.com 2)