CoStar Group Prevails in Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against News Corp's Realtor.com
Following a nine-month legal battle and facing the prospect of court-imposed sanctions, Move has dismissed its lawsuit with prejudice, bringing the closely watched case to a decisive end
CoStar Group (NASDAQ:CSGP) a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the commercial and residential property markets, announced today that it has prevailed in a baseless trade secrets lawsuit brought by Move, Inc., the Rupert Murdoch-owned operator of Realtor.com.
In July 2024, Move filed a federal complaint accusing CoStar Group and former Move employee James Kaminsky of trade secret misappropriation. Move's core allegation—that Kaminsky had been hired by CoStar Group to launch a news division and was using information obtained from his time at Move to support that launch—was demonstrably false. Kaminsky was hired by CoStar Group to write descriptions of New York condominiums for Homes.com, a role he publicly disclosed and discussed with multiple former colleagues at Move.
At the outset, CoStar Group warned Move that it would seek sanctions if Move pursued its meritless claims. In response, Move quickly amended its complaint, deleting the false narrative about a news division and pivoting to a new, equally unfounded theory. When Move later sought a preliminary injunction, the court denied the request in September 2024, citing the speculative nature of Move's allegations, lack of demonstrated harm, and Move's unprecedented refusal to take any discovery – including the decision not to depose Kaminsky or any CoStar Group employees.
Over the following months, CoStar Group pressed Move for evidence and continued to challenge the lawsuit's legitimacy. In March 2025, CoStar Group's legal team notified Move of its intent to seek sanctions. The very next day after the deadline CoStar provided in its notice for Move to dismiss its case, Move filed a motion to delay the proceedings. When CoStar Group responded with a detailed brief highlighting Move's complete lack of evidence, Move abruptly asked CoStar Group if it would consent to the dismissal of Move's entire case against CoStar Group – with prejudice.
"This lawsuit was a PR stunt from the start – ridiculous, and totally devoid of merit," said Andy Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group. "Nine months later, after a warning from our lawyers about sanctions, Move folded. We did not settle. We didn't pay a dime. Move simply capitulated. From the beginning, Move had no evidence linking CoStar Group to any trade secrets, and this dismissal proves it. This was a desperate, anticompetitive stunt to slow down Homes.com as we passed Realtor.com in the marketplace."
"We said we would win this case, and we did," Florance added. "We remain focused on winning where it counts – in the marketplace. Our 'Your Listing, Your Lead' model on Homes.com continues to resonate with agents, buyers and sellers alike, and just as we've succeeded in court, we are confident we will continue to succeed in the market."
About CoStar Group
CoStar Group (NASDAQ:CSGP) is a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces and 3D digital twin technology. Founded in 1986, CoStar Group is dedicated to digitizing the world's real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives.
CoStar Group's major brands include CoStar, a leading global provider of commercial real estate data, analytics, and news; LoopNet, the most trafficked commercial real estate marketplace; Apartments.com, the leading platform for apartment rentals; and Homes.com, the fastest-growing residential real estate marketplace. CoStar Group's industry-leading brands also include Matterport, a leading spatial data company whose platform turns buildings into data to make every space more valuable and accessible, STR, a global leader in hospitality data and benchmarking, Ten-X, an online platform for commercial real estate auctions and negotiated bids and OnTheMarket, a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom.
CoStar Group's websites attracted over 134 million average monthly unique visitors in the fourth quarter of 2024, serving clients around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, CoStar Group is committed to transforming the real estate industry through innovative technology and comprehensive market intelligence. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com.
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