Legal - MOVE, INC.

Move, Inc. et al. v. CoStar Group et al.

Move Inc. operates realtor.com, an online marketplace that has fallen far behind CoStar’s Homes.com. In July 2024, Move resorted to filing suit falsely accusing CoStar of using Move trade secrets to build a rival news division. In fact, as Move knew, CoStar hired the former Move employee to write descriptions of New York condominiums for Homes.com, a role he publicly disclosed and discussed with multiple former colleagues at Move.

From the outset, CoStar challenged the legitimacy of this lawsuit, pressing back on these allegations in filings, the press, and in correspondence with Move. Faced with the threat of Rule 11 sanctions, Move amended its complaint, shifting to a new, vaguer, and equally baseless theory. When Move then sought a preliminary injunction, CoStar opposed, using Move’s unprecedented refusal to take any discovery, to convince the court to deny the injunction request. In another loss for Move, CoStar won a motion to dismiss two of Move’s claims.

Over the following months, CoStar pressed Move for evidence, shining further light on Move’s threadbare claims. In March 2025, CoStar again informed Move that it would seek sanctions, including costs and attorney’s fees, if the case was not promptly dismissed. In response, Move filed a motion to delay the case. When CoStar filed a detailed brief highlighting Move’s lack of both evidence and diligence in discovery, Move abruptly asked CoStar if it would consent to the dismissal of Move’s entire case—with prejudice. CoStar paid nothing, and agreed to nothing. Move simply capitulated.

Move attempted to weaponize the legal system to shift the narrative around the decline of Realtor.com and the success of CoStar’s Homes.com. The drubbing that Move received in court, and Move’s ultimate defeat, should serve as a reminder that the truth will prevail, and that no one sues CoStar with impunity.