Attorney General Hanaway Obtains $307,000 Consent Judgment In Case Against Florida Real Estate Brokerage Firm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her Office reached a consent judgment with MV Realty Holdings, LLC (MV Realty), based in Florida, and its franchises, which violated Missouri law by paying homeowners a tiny percentage of the value of their homes in exchange for a promise that the homeowner would use MV Realty as their brokers when they sold their homes.

“Homeownership is a goal for many Missourians,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “Our Office will not tolerate out-of-state fraudsters placing liens on family homes or charging bogus cancellation fees in unlawful contracts. We are proud of this win for Missouri homeowners, and our Office continues to seek justice for innocent Missourians who have been exploited.” Under the consent judgment, MV Realty must pay more than $307,000 to the State of Missouri in restitution for termination fees that it collected from 44 Missouri homeowners. Additionally, MV Realty and its chief officers are prohibited from engaging in real estate brokerage in Missouri for a period of seven years.

The Attorney General’s Office previously filed suit in March 2024 against MV Realty under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, alleging that MV Realty misled or failed to tell homeowners about many portions of their contracts. For example, many homeowners were not told that they were bound to the contracts for 40 years, that the contracts would effectively be enforceable against their heirs, or that MV Realty would be filing a “memorandum” on their properties with the county clerk that clouded their chain of title.

As a part of the judgment, MV Realty agreed to abandon all contracts still pending in Missouri, and not collect termination fees or a return of the approximately $250,000 in upfront payments that MV Realty had paid to 385 consumers. The abandonment of those contracts relieves Missouri homeowners of a total of $2.4 million in termination fees that they would have had to pay MV Realty.

“A real estate contract granting indefinite listing rights to a brokerage is unlawful,” said Steven Reed, Consumer Protection Section Chief Counsel. “If Missourians think they’ve been scammed; we encourage them to call our Consumer Protection hotline at (800) 392-8222 or by submitting a complaint online at ago.mo.gov.”

The case was litigated by Assistant Attorneys General John Grantham and Nate Brancato. Investigators with the Office’s Consumer Protection Section were vital in achieving this outcome.

Just as the Consumer Protection Section exemplifies the Attorney General’s Office’s commitment to safeguarding Missourians, the Office is proud to be home to some of the state’s most skilled consumer-protection attorneys. These dedicated professionals investigate and prosecute deceptive and fraudulent practices, working tirelessly to hold bad actors accountable and secure justice for victims. Attorneys interested in joining this tradition of excellence and public service are encouraged to explore current opportunities at https://ago.mo.gov/about-us/job-opportunities/.