A federal judge has denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a partial summary judgment in its antitrust challenge of Zillow Group’s partnership with Redfin, finding that disputed issues in the case must be resolved at trial.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ruled Wednesday that factual disputes in the antitrust case require a full trial rather than an early decision.

Bloomberg reported that Trenga, who declined to temporarily block the partnership between Zillow and Redfin, said, “Too many disputes exist in the case to decide it before a trial.” The trial is expected to start on Aug. 24.

Zillow released a statement on its website regarding the news: “The FTC asked the court to partially resolve this case before Zillow has the opportunity to present its full evidence at trial — evidence that will demonstrate the pro-competitive effects of this partnership for renters and housing providers. We are pleased with the court’s decision today, and look forward to presenting the full record at trial next month.”

The FTC said it did not have a comment when reached by HousingWire. A Redfin spokesperson issued a statement in which the brokerage lauded the decision.

“Redfin is pleased with Judge Trenga’s decision. We strongly disagree with the FTC’s allegations in this case and look forward to presenting the full facts at trial,” the statement read.

“The reality is simple: Redfin’s actions are pro-competitive and benefit consumers. Redfin pursued the Zillow partnership to maintain and grow Redfin’s rental business. And because of that decision, Redfin’s websites have more rental listings than ever before and Redfin can invest even more in search innovations that directly benefit our customers.”

The backstory

The news comes just months after Trenga denied Zillow and Redfin’s motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit filed by the FTC and attorneys general from Virginia, Arizona, New York, Connecticut and Washington.

The FTC and several states sued Zillow and Redfin over a February 2025 agreement under which Zillow paid $100 million to become the exclusive provider of multifamily rental listings on Redfin, Rent.com and ApartmentGuide.com, with two optional two-year extensions.

Zillow also operates several rental listing platforms, including Zillow Rentals, HotPads and Trulia.

Originally filed as two separate lawsuits in September 2025 and consolidated in November, the case alleges the agreement effectively paid Redfin to exit the multifamily rental listings market, eliminating it as a competitor.

According to the FTC’s complaint, Redfin also agreed to stop selling multifamily advertising, terminate its existing advertising contracts and transition those customers to Zillow.

The FTC alleges the arrangement effectively combined two of the three largest online apartment listing services and violates federal antitrust and merger laws.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with comments from Redfin.

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