Ct Realtors, Smart Mls, Weserv Dismissed From Zea Suit

The Connecticut Association of Realtors (CT Realtors) and Connecticut-based Smart MLS, as well as Arizona-based West and Southeast Realtors of the Valley (WeSERV), have all been dismissed from the Zea lawsuit.

Florida-based U.S. District Court Judge William Dimitrouleas dismissed the three defendants from the lawsuit on Thursday after adopting and approving Magistrate Judge William Matthewman’s report and recommendations. 

Matthewman filed his report in mid-February, in which he shared his thoughts on a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction filed by CT Realtors, Smart MLS and WeSERV in October 2025.

Filed in August, the lawsuit claims that the defendants engaged in a “coordinated scheme” to restrict consumer choice and maintain elevated prices, harming his brokerage model.

Plaintiff Jorge Zea runs www.snapflatfee.com, a brokerage that charges sellers a listing fee in exchange for limited services. Zea’s firm syndicates listings data to the MLS data feeds and forwards all buyer leads “regardless of their origin” directly to the seller.

According to Zea, buyer’s agents associated with the defendants steer clients away from properties that offer a reduced or nonexistent buyer’s agent commission. In his complaint, he argues that this steering is the result of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the other defendants not enforcing their own rules. 

The rules in question relate to the mandatory display of a listing broker’s contact information on the listing page in an IDX display; the commission lawsuit mandate for buyer agency agreements; and the prohibition of MLS platforms from allowing users to search or filter results by the name of the listing broker or agent, or by the amount of compensation offered.

By allegedly refusing to enforce these rules, Zea claims that the defendants have competitively disadvantaged his discount-brokerage business.

In his report, the magistrate judge found that the three defendants do not operate or conduct business in Florida. Additionally, he found that the ethics complaints and MLS issues cited in the complaint happened in Connecticut, meaning that any alleged injury related to these defendants occurred from his business activities in Connecticut, not from conduct in Florida. 

Zea did not file any objections to the magistrate judge’s report. Despite the lack of objections, Dimitrouleas wrote in his order that the court still conducted its own review of the report, ultimately agreeing with the magistrate judge’s analysis and conclusions. 

While these three defendants are no longer facing Zea’s allegations, NAR and several other Florida-based entities are. These include Beaches MLS; Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors; Miami Realtors; Orlando Regional Realtor Association; Florida Gulf Coast MLS; Stellar MLS; Space Coast MLS and Space Coast Association of Realtors; RealMLS; Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and Central Panhandle Association of Realtors. 

In an emailed statement, Roger Nelson, the CEO of WeSERV, wrote that the association “appreciates the court’s thorough review and adoption of the dismissal recommendation.” 

“We will continue to focus on providing outstanding services and benefits to members of WeSERV and the broader real estate community in Arizona,” Nelson added.

A spokesperson for CT Realtors shared similar sentiments, writing in an emailed statement that the association was pleased with the decision, which they felt “confirmed the argument that the association should not have been part of this lawsuit based on jurisdiction deficiencies.”

Smart MLS did not immediately respond to HousingWire’s requests for comment.