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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12.COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

From time to time, the Company is subject to potential liability under laws and government regulations and various claims and legal actions that may be asserted against us that could have a material adverse effect on the business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. Such litigation includes, but is not limited to, actions or claims relating to cyber-attacks, data breaches, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 and state consumer protection laws, antitrust and anticompetition, worker classification, timely filing required SEC filings and non-compliance with contractual or other legal obligations.

The Company and its affiliated brokerage entities are among several defendants in eight U.S. and one Canadian putative class action lawsuits alleging that the Company participated in a system that resulted in sellers of residential property paying inflated buyer broker commissions in violation of U.S. federal and state antitrust laws and federal Canadian antitrust laws, as applicable, as discussed further in our 2023 Annual Report and Note 13 – Subsequent Events to these unaudited consolidated financial statements (“antitrust litigation”). As of March 31, 2024, the Company has determined that it is probable that a loss associated with the antitrust litigation has occurred and that the lower boundary of potential loss is reasonably estimable.

Based on an analysis of settlements negotiated by co-defendants companies in similar legal matters and ongoing developments in the antitrust litigation, the Company has recorded a provision for loss of $16.0 million which represents the lower boundary of a reasonably possible range of loss. The high-end range of loss cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to the dynamic nature of the lawsuit and the contingent nature of possible outcomes. We have determined that it is at least reasonably possible that the loss estimate provision could change in the near term and that such change could be material. This contingent uncertainty highlights the provisional nature of the current loss estimate. Additionally, we cannot provide any assurances that results of such litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

The Company continues to vigorously defend against these claims. However, due to the complexities inherent in such litigation, including the uncertainty of legal processes and potential developments in the cases, the ultimate liability may differ from the current provision. The Company will reassess this estimate as additional information becomes available or as circumstances change.