Zillow RESPA Lawsuit, Were You Affected? — Taylor v. Zillow, No. 2:25-cv-01818

If you bought a home through a Zillow-connected agent and financed it with Zillow Home Loans — a judge just gave you another reason to pay attention. A federal court threw out the class action accusing Zillow of steering buyers into its own mortgage arm in late July. The plaintiffs weren’t done. On August 17, they filed a new complaint, dropped one legal theory, and added a specific dollar figure to back up what’s left.

Zillow RESPA Lawsuit — Key Facts

Lawsuit Filed	September 19, 2025 (consolidated with Armstrong v. Zillow, Dec. 10, 2025)
Defendant	Zillow Group, Inc., Zillow, Inc., Zillow Homes, Inc., Zillow Listing Services, Inc.; also GK Properties and eXp Realty
Alleged Harm	Steering homebuyers to Zillow-affiliated agents and Zillow Home Loans without adequate disclosure
Law Alleged	RESPA, 12 U.S.C. § 2607; Washington Consumer Protection Act
Who Is Affected	Homebuyers who used a Zillow Flex or Premier Agent and/or financed through Zillow Home Loans
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, No. 2:25-cv-01818
Current Stage	Dismissed without prejudice July 27, 2026; third amended complaint filed August 17, 2026
Lead Plaintiff Deadline	N/A — no securities lead plaintiff process in this case
Settlement Status	No settlement. No claim form exists.
Last Updated	August 19, 2026

Who Is Zillow, and Why Is It Being Sued Over Mortgage Steering?

Zillow runs the country’s most-visited real estate listing site, and it also owns Zillow Home Loans, its in-house lender. Plaintiffs argue that structure creates an incentive problem: Zillow’s Flex and Premier Agent programs connect buyers with participating agents, and those same agents are allegedly pushed toward Zillow’s own mortgage arm to keep receiving quality leads. That overlap between listings, referrals, and lending is the entire case.

What Did Zillow Allegedly Do, and What Happened in Court?

The case started in September 2025, when buyer Alucard Taylor claimed Zillow’s “Contact Agent” button routed homebuyers to Flex-program agents without making the referral fee arrangement clear. A second suit, Armstrong v. Zillow, followed in November over similar Premier Agent claims, and the two were merged that December. An amended complaint added a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act claim, arguing Zillow and participating brokerages functioned as a coordinated “enterprise.”

On July 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge James Robart dismissed the whole case without prejudice. He found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring a RESPA claim because they hadn’t personally paid the settlement fees in question, and that plaintiffs’ claims of lack of notice were implausible given Zillow’s express, repeated disclosures. The RICO claims failed too — the court said the complaint never specified who did what, or how the alleged scheme actually worked.

That could have ended things. Instead, on August 17 — the deadline Robart set — plaintiffs filed a third amended complaint. It drops the RICO claims entirely and narrows the case to RESPA and the Washington Consumer Protection Act. It also adds something new: an economic study estimating that borrowers who used Zillow Home Loans paid roughly $2,881 more per comparable loan than they should have — about $31.6 million in added costs across the group studied.

For AllAboutLawyer’s earlier coverage of how this case first came together, including the original Taylor and Armstrong filings, see our Zillow Lawsuit 2025 breakdown.

A number like $31.6 million doesn’t win a case by itself. But it’s the kind of specific figure judges look for when they say a complaint needs more than a general theory of harm.

Are You Part of the Zillow RESPA Lawsuit?

Here’s exactly how to know if this case might include you.

• Buyers who clicked “Contact Agent” or “Request a Tour” on a Zillow listing and were connected to a Flex or Premier Agent
• Homebuyers who financed their purchase through Zillow Home Loans after working with a Zillow-connected agent
• Anyone who was not told a referral fee was paid on their transaction by a participating agent
• People whose purchase falls within RESPA’s one-year statute of limitations from closing — Judge Robart’s July order noted several named plaintiffs’ claims were already time-barred

You do not need to have filed a complaint yourself to eventually be covered — if a class is certified, membership is typically automatic for anyone who fits the class definition.

Zillow Homebuyers Outside Washington State — Are You Still Covered?

The RESPA claim is federal and would apply nationwide if the case survives and a class is certified. The Washington Consumer Protection Act claim is narrower and tied to Washington-based conduct — how far it reaches buyers outside the state remains an open legal question the court hasn’t resolved.

Not sure if your Zillow-financed purchase fits the pattern here? A free consultation with a consumer protection attorney can help you review your closing documents before any future deadline in this case arrives.

What Are Plaintiffs Asking the Court to Award?

There’s no settlement, so there’s no dollar figure attached to any individual buyer yet. The complaint asks the court to certify a nationwide class, award damages tied to the alleged overcharges, and — under RESPA — potentially treble those damages if the claim succeeds.

No money yet. No claim form yet. The $31.6 million aggregate figure cited in the new complaint describes the alleged scale of harm across the study period, not a promised class fund.

What Could Affected Zillow Home Loans Borrowers Receive If This Case Settles?

Impossible to predict at this stage. It depends on whether the amended complaint survives another motion to dismiss, whether a class gets certified, and how the $2,881-per-loan estimate holds up if the case reaches expert discovery. Homeowners with a similar RESPA steering claim against a different lender can compare notes in our Rocket Mortgage RESPA lawsuit coverage, which alleges a closely related theory.

What Should Zillow Homebuyers Do Right Now?

1. Don’t file anything yet. No claim process exists — this case hasn’t even survived a second motion to dismiss.
2. Pull your closing documents — specifically anything showing whether your agent disclosed a referral fee, and your Zillow Home Loans paperwork if you financed through them.
3. Note your closing date. RESPA’s one-year statute of limitations was a real problem for some plaintiffs in the July dismissal — timing matters here.
4. Watch for Zillow’s response. The company has 30 days or so to move to dismiss again once the third amended complaint is on file.
5. Track the docket. Case No. 2:25-cv-01818, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, before Judge James L. Robart.
6. Talk to a RESPA attorney if your damages are significant. Buyers with unusually large overcharges may have grounds for an individual claim rather than waiting on a class.

Zillow RESPA Lawsuit — Full Timeline

Milestone	Date
Taylor v. Zillow originally filed	September 19, 2025
First amended complaint adds RICO claims	November 19, 2025
Armstrong v. Zillow filed	November 7, 2025
Cases consolidated under Judge Robart	December 10, 2025
Discovery paused pending motion to dismiss	March 23, 2026
Zillow files motion to dismiss	February 20, 2026
eXp Realty added as defendant	Mid-April 2026
Real Brokerage, Frano Team compelled to arbitration, dismissed from case	June 2026
Court dismisses case without prejudice	July 27, 2026
Deadline to file amended complaint	August 17, 2026
Third amended complaint filed (RICO dropped, RESPA + WA CPA only)	August 17, 2026
Zillow’s response to third amended complaint	UNVERIFIED — not yet due as of this writing
Next scheduled hearing	UNVERIFIED — no hearing date set as of this writing

Zillow RESPA Lawsuit — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 2:25-cv-01818

Is there still a class action lawsuit against Zillow over mortgage steering? 

Yes. Though the original case was dismissed on July 27, 2026, plaintiffs filed a third amended complaint on August 17 narrowing the claims to RESPA and Washington consumer protection law.

Do I need to do anything right now to be part of the Zillow lawsuit? 

No. No class has been certified and no claim form exists. If you fit the eventual class definition, you would typically be notified automatically.

When will the Zillow RESPA case settle?

 There’s no timeline. Zillow is expected to move to dismiss the new complaint, and the court would need to rule on that before the case could move toward settlement or trial.

Can I file my own lawsuit against Zillow instead of joining the class?

 Yes, particularly if your individual damages are large or your claim falls close to RESPA’s one-year statute of limitations, which barred some named plaintiffs’ claims in the July ruling.

How will I find out if the Zillow lawsuit settles?

 If a class is certified and a settlement is reached, class counsel is required to notify identifiable class members, typically by mail or email tied to closing records.

What does “dismissed without prejudice” mean for the Zillow case?

 It means the court threw out the complaint but gave plaintiffs a chance to fix its legal defects and refile — which they did on August 17, rather than the case being over for good.

What specific laws does Zillow allegedly violate? 

The current complaint alleges violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (12 U.S.C. § 2607) and the Washington Consumer Protection Act, after RICO claims were dropped from the August 17 filing.

How much could affected Zillow Home Loans borrowers get if this case settles? 

Unknown. The complaint cites an economic study estimating borrowers paid about $2,881 more per loan on average, but that figure describes alleged harm, not a proposed payout.

Sources Used in This Article

• HousingWire — “Zillow faces renewed RESPA claims in amended Taylor suit,” August 19, 2026: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/zillow-respa-taylor-armstrong/
• HousingWire — “Zillow wins dismissal of RESPA claims in Flex referrals case,” July 2026: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/zillow-respa-standing-dismissal/
• RISMedia — “Judge Throws Out Zillow Class-Action Claims as Plaintiffs Fail to Show Steering, Deception,” July 27, 2026: https://www.rismedia.com/2026/07/27/judge-throws-out-zillow-class-action-claims-as-plaintiffs-fail-to-show-steering-deception/
• Inman — “Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Alleging Zillow Violated RESPA, RICO,” July 28, 2026: https://www.inman.com/2026/07/28/zillow-taylor-class-action-lawsuit-dismissed/
• National Mortgage News — “Judge grants Zillow motion to dismiss RESPA, RICO lawsuit,” July 28, 2026: https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/1-of-many-steering-cases-against-zillow-dismissed
• RealEstateNews.com — “Judge dismisses case alleging Zillow violated RESPA, RICO laws,” July 27, 2026: https://www.realestatenews.com/2026/07/27/judge-dismisses-case-alleging-zillow-violated-respa-rico-laws
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington — Taylor v. Zillow, Inc. et al., No. 2:25-cv-01818 (docket via Justia/PACER)

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against court filings and named real estate industry legal press as of August 19, 2026. Last Updated: August 19, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.