Judge denies Yardi summary judgment in rent-fixing case
Key Takeaway: A federal judge in Seattle has denied Yardi Systems’ bid for summary judgment in the rent price-fixing antitrust case, ending phased discovery and opening the Santa Barbara company’s landlord clients to broader scrutiny.
A federal judge in Seattle has denied Yardi Systems’ summary judgment bid in the rent price-fixing antitrust class action, ruling that discovery focused only on the company’s software did not eliminate the need to examine what its landlord clients knew and did. Multifamily Dive reported the October 13, 2026 ruling on October 19.
The decision ends the phased discovery Judge Robert Lasnik imposed in March 2025 and opens landlord defendants to broader discovery, moving the three-year-old case toward a deeper examination of the alleged hub-and-spoke conspiracy. According to VitalLaw, the denial was without prejudice to renewal after discovery, and the court expressed no view on the ultimate merits of Yardi’s arguments.
What the ruling decides
The order, issued in Duffy v. Yardi Systems (In re Yardi Revenue Management Antitrust Litigation), No. 2:23-cv-01391-RSL, denied Yardi’s motion on the remaining claims while granting summary judgment on Count II, the abandoned vertical-restraints claim.
Lasnik also denied both sides’ motions to exclude expert witnesses without prejudice and agreed to seal confidential client and technical material, including Yardi’s source code and software processes.
Answering his own March 2025 question, whether Yardi-focused discovery could obviate broader discovery, the judge wrote simply: “It has not.”
The case so far
Washington renter McKenna Duffy filed the class action in September 2023, alleging Yardi and landlord defendants violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act through the company’s Revenue IQ software, formerly called RENTmaximizer.
In December 2024, Lasnik denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss, which included arguments over standing, in a ruling addressing landlord defendant R.D. Merrill Real Estate Holdings, LLC, doing business as Pillar Properties. Yardi and 10 out-of-state apartment operators had sought dismissal.
In March 2025, he temporarily stayed discovery against the landlords to test whether a Yardi-focused phase could resolve threshold issues without broader discovery. That phase, examining the software’s inputs, pricing recommendations, use or sharing of confidential information, client control over configurations, and adoption of recommendations, concluded in November 2025.
The suit was narrowed in March 2026, when claims against non-resident landlord LLCs were dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. Separately, in October 2025, according to Multifamily Dive, Yardi won a California ruling in Alameda County Superior Court holding that Revenue IQ did not violate California’s antitrust and unfair competition laws because the software does not use any client’s confidential pricing information to recommend pricing for another client.
What Yardi says
A Yardi spokesperson said “There is nothing illegal about Yardi’s revenue management product, and the allegations against the company are simply false,” Multifamily Dive reported.
The Santa Barbara, California-based company has previously said it relies on clients’ property data and public market information. It did not respond to Multifamily Dive’s request for comment on the ruling.
What happens next
According to VitalLaw, the parties must submit a joint status report and proposed discovery plan within 28 days of the October 13 order. According to VitalLaw, the case will proceed to broader discovery concerning landlord defendants’ knowledge, communications and conduct. The precise schedule and scope will be set once the parties submit their proposed plan and the court gives its directions.
✓ Verified
Judge Robert Lasnik denied Yardi Systems’ summary judgment motion on the remaining claims without prejudice to renewal after discovery on October 13, 2026, in case No. 2:23-cv-01391-RSL (W.D. Wash.); granted summary judgment on the abandoned Count II vertical-restraints claim; lifted the stay on discovery against landlord defendants; sealed Yardi’s confidential client and proprietary technical information; and ordered a joint status report and proposed discovery plan within 28 days. Yardi Systems is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
⚠ Still needs confirmation
VitalLaw alone reports that the court gave preliminary approval in March 2026 to a settlement with Balke Brown Transwestern, Inc. and 2b Residential, LLC. No second outlet has corroborated this.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Revenue IQ?
Yardi’s revenue-management software, formerly called RENTmaximizer, which gives landlords pricing recommendations. The lawsuit alleges it served as the hub for exchanging competitively sensitive non-public pricing information among landlords. Yardi says the product is legal and the allegations are false.
Does the ruling mean Yardi fixed rents?
No. The judge expressly took no view on the merits. The denial means the renters’ claims survive into broader discovery; it is not a finding of liability.
What happens next in the case?
According to VitalLaw, both sides must submit a joint status report and proposed discovery plan within 28 days of the October 13 order. The court’s ruling permits broader discovery concerning landlord defendants’ knowledge, communications and conduct. Yardi may renew its summary judgment motion after discovery is complete, as the denial was without prejudice.
- Multifamily Dive: Judge denies Yardi’s ask for summary judgement in rent price-fixing case
- VitalLaw (Wolters Kluwer): Yardi rent-fixing suit moves to broader discovery as court denies summary judgment
- Wisevoter: Judge allowed discovery in Yardi rent lawsuit
Editor’s note: This article reports on a court ruling in pending litigation; all allegations remain unproven and Yardi denies wrongdoing. The March 2026 settlement detail comes from VitalLaw alone and awaits a second source.
