MRED CEO: Zillow Threatened Litigation Over Listing Policy

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) CEO Rebecca Jensen testified on Thursday that Zillow executives threatened litigation over her company's refusal to comply with Zillow's listing access standards policy. This testimony occurred during the second day of a hearing concerning Zillow's preliminary injunction motion in its antitrust lawsuit against MRED and Compass International Holdings. The policy in question bans listings from Zillow that are not available on IDX or VOW feed-powered websites within one business day of public marketing.

Jensen detailed two calls with Zillow executives in October 2025. In one call, Michael Lane, Zillow's vice president of enterprise sales and industry at Showingtime+, expressed regret over using MRED's private listing network, citing fair housing concerns. Jensen defended the network, which has been operational since 2016, by highlighting its flexibility for sellers facing sensitive personal circumstances, though they disagreed on its continuation.

In a separate conversation, Errol Samuelson, Zillow's chief industry development officer, inquired about delaying MRED's private listings on Zillow. Jensen declined this request, citing a 2008 settlement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The ongoing lawsuit centers on whether MRED can suspend its IDX and VOW listing data feeds to Zillow if the portal filters or suppresses certain listings, and if Compass unlawfully encouraged MRED to do so.

Compass CEO Robert Reffkin also testified on Thursday, corroborating Jensen's account of Zillow executives issuing threats regarding their firms' opposition to Zillow's listing access standards. The dispute highlights tensions between listing portals and data aggregators over data access and control.