Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office has obtained a $307,000 consent judgment and permanent injunction against Florida-based MV Realty Holdings and its franchises, for violating Missouri law by entering into deceptive contracts with homeowners.
The company allegedly paid homeowners small sums of money in exchange for long-term promises that they would use MV Realty as their broker when selling their homes.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, MV Realty must pay more than $307,000 in restitution to Missouri for termination fees that it collected from 44 homeowners across the state.
The judgment also bars MV Realty and its chief officers from engaging in real estate brokerage in Missouri for seven years.
“Homeownership is a goal for many Missourians,” Hanaway said in a provided statement. “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.”
The judgment resolves a lawsuit the Attorney General filed in March 2024 under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
The suit alleged that MV Realty misled or failed to disclose critical terms of its agreements to homeowners. Among the claims, the company did not tell many consumers that they were bound by 40-year contracts, that the agreements could extend to their heirs, or that MV Realty would file a “memorandum” with county clerks that clouded the titles to their properties.
As part of the consent judgment, MV Realty also agreed to abandon all contracts that remain active in Missouri.
The company will not be permitted to collect termination fees or demand repayment of the roughly $250,000 it had previously paid upfront to 385 consumers.
By canceling those agreements, Missouri homeowners are collectively relieved of approximately $2.4 million in termination fees they otherwise would have owed.
Steven Reed, chief counsel of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section, noted that real estate contracts structured like those used by MV Realty are unlawful.
“A real estate contract granting indefinite listing rights to a brokerage is unlawful,” Reed said.
He said if Missourians think they’ve been scammed, the office encourage them to call the Consumer Protection hotline or submit a complaint online.
The consent judgment marks the latest effort by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to protect consumers from predatory business practices.
Hanaway’s office described MV Realty’s conduct as a clear attempt to exploit homeowners by using deceptive contracts that imposed heavy financial burdens while appearing to offer small, upfront cash payments.
The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleged that the company’s actions violated Missouri consumer protection laws by obscuring key contractual obligations and using filings that interfered with homeowners’ property rights.
The “memoranda” that MV Realty recorded against properties effectively placed a lien-like restriction on the homes, complicating sales and transfers.
In addition to the monetary judgment and operational ban, the agreement requires MV Realty to fully release affected homeowners from their obligations under the disputed contracts.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that this relief will protect hundreds of consumers across the state from long-term financial harm.
The case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General John Grantham and Nate Brancato, with investigative work carried out by the Office’s Consumer Protection Section.
Hanaway credited the legal and investigative teams for their efforts in securing restitution for affected homeowners and holding MV Realty accountable for its conduct.
