The homebuyers at the center of the $475 transaction fee lawsuit filed against Compass have filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss their case.
The Efron suit, which was filed by Jeff and Melissa Efron in late June in Palm Beach County Court, accused Compass of “unfair and deceptive business practices” for allegedly uniformly charging “an undisclosed flat-fee to all Florida purchasing clients.” The plaintiffs reportedly paid Compass $475 when their transaction closed in 2024.
The plaintiffs also claimed that the transaction fee they paid violates the Florida Consumer Collections Practices Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act because it is “unreasonable, illegitimate, excessive … or were for services which were not performed.”
Additionally, they claimed that the purchase contract they signed during their transaction was the standard purchase and sale agreement approved by Florida Realtors and the Florida Bar that was later amended to include “additional terms.” They argue that “the modification of a contract approved by the Florida Bar by a non-lawyer is the illegal practice of law.”
The lawsuit was seeking class-action status.
Compass addressed the transaction fees it charges consumers in the firm’s first-quarter 2026 earnings report, in which Compass acknowledged them as a revenue stream. But the company did not disclose how much these fees were.
The brokerage expanded these fees nationwide earlier this year. Prior to that, they only applied in certain markets, including Florida.
“We primarily generate revenue from our owned-brokerage business when we collect a share of the gross sales commissions that these real estate professionals earn from home sales and certain other fees, such as flat transaction commission fees,” the earnings report states.
Compass did not immediately return HousingWire’s request for comment.
While some reports, such as one from the Consumer Policy Center, claim that consumers pay up to $2 billion in brokerage transaction fees each year, it is unclear if lawsuits like this will catch on among consumers and class action- plaintiffs’ attorneys.
