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Judge Orders Chicago-Area Home Listings Restored on Zillow Amid Legal Fight

By  |  May 26, 2026
Zillow, housing, flipping, buying, selling

A federal judge has ordered thousands of Chicago-area real estate listings, removed during an escalating dispute with Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), to be restored on Zillow, according to NBC.

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    The conflict centers on a small group of listings that Zillow claimed violated its internal policies. MRED, which operates a major multiple listing service for the Chicago suburbs, had suspended access to their feed, arguing that Zillow breached its licensing agreement by refusing to display the these properties on its platform.

    The disagreement led to tens of thousands of listings disappearing from Zillow and other popular real estate websites last week, per NBC.

    MRED sharply criticized Zillow’s actions in a public statement, saying, “In a striking lesson in irony, Zillow has chosen not to display 43,000 MRED listings because it demands the right, and has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit to secure that right – to exclude nine listings it disfavors.”

    Zillow has maintained that the policies at issue were not part of the original agreement between the companies. The real estate platform also argued that the disputed listings, which include properties tied to private networks and other listing arrangements, conflict with its support for transparency in the housing market, according to NBC.

    Related: Zillow Responds to FTC Allegations Over Redfin Rental Listings Deal

    Both companies confirmed that a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Friday requiring the “immediate restoration of Chicago-area listing data on Zillow,” per NBC.

    The ruling also directed Zillow to continue displaying the nine disputed listings while the legal battle continues.

    MRED said the court’s decision reinforced its position in the dispute.

    “The court made clear that Zillow cannot selectively ban listings that were included in MRED’s feed as of May 21, including the nine listings Zillow chose to exclude in the first place, the very conduct that resulted in MRED suspending Zillow’s feed access,” the company said in a statement.

    The case highlights growing tensions within the real estate industry over listing transparency, private property networks and how online platforms control access to housing data.

    Source: NBC