Zillow Faces Securities Class Action Over Alleged Anticompetitive Deal

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, centers on a February 2025 pact that Zillow publicly framed as a strategic partnership. According to the complaint, the deal was actually a payment to Redfin to exit the multifamily rental advertising market and cease competition. The legal fallout began in earnest when the Federal Trade Commission challenged the agreement, alleging it functioned as an end-run around fair market competition.

Financial pressure on Zillow intensified throughout early 2026. On February 10, the company’s CFO disclosed that mounting legal expenses would create a 200-basis-point headwind to EBITDA margins, triggering a sharp sell-off in Class C and Class A shares. The litigation gained further momentum in May 2026, when a federal judge denied a motion to dismiss the FTC’s antitrust case. Investors seeking to participate as lead plaintiffs in the class action, captioned Breidert v. Zillow Group, Inc., must submit their requests to the court by August 10, 2026.