Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis rent price-fixing lawsuit settlement proposed by DOJ
DOJ says companies schemed to keep rent high
The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing major property management companies of conspiring to keep rent prices high with anti-competitive practices. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the full story.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed a settlement with RealPage, the company that created an algorithm used by several major landlords accused in a rent price-fixing scheme, including four that operate in the Twin Cities, that would resolve a lawsuit brought earlier this year.
Justice Department proposal
What we know:
Under the proposal, RealPage would agree to limit the data it uses for its algorithm and modeling.
If accepted, RealPage would no longer be able to use real-time, nonpublic data to set rental prices nor train AI or algorithms on leases that are less than 12 months old.
RealPage would also be restricted from sending surveys landlords to get private pricing information.
As part of the agreement, RealPage also agrees to cooperate with the Justice Department in its lawsuit against other major landlords.
What they’re saying:
In a press release, the Justice Department says the agreement will help “restore free market competition in rental markets.”
“Competing companies must make independent pricing decisions, and with the rise of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools, we will remain at the forefront of vigorous antitrust enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division in a provided statement.
Ongoing lawsuit against landlords
The backstory:
Earlier this year, the DOJ sued six of the nation’s largest landlords, including Greystar Real Estate Partners, Cushman & Wakefield, Willow Bridge Property Company and Cortland Management, which operate in the Twin Cities.
The landlords were accused of using the RealPage algorithms and by sharing data with each other to drive up rental prices in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
“The idea is that landlords are conspiring to keep rents high for renters rather than allowing the market to normally set them to a rate that’s reasonable,” Julia Zwak, an attorney at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, told FOX 9 in January. “They’re getting information that normally competitors in the market wouldn’t be sharing with one another.”
After news of the lawsuit became public, the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance banning algorithmic rental price fixing.
Settlements reached:
After FOX 9 became aware of the lawsuit in January, Cortland Management announced it had reached a settlement with the Justice Department to stop using the pricing algorithms.
Last week, Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is involved in the lawsuit on behalf of Minnesota, also announced last week a settlement with the nation’s largest landlord Greystar. Greystar, which owns 950,000 rental units across the country including thousands in Minnesota, agreed to pay $7 million and stop using anti-competitive pricing algorithms to set rental prices.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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