Head of National Association of Realtors resigns

The chief executive of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) resigned from his position Thursday, two days after a federal jury ruled that the organization was liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages for conspiring to inflate commissions.

“After announcing my decision to retire earlier this year, and as I reflected on my 30 years at N.A.R., I determined last month that now is the right time for this extraordinary organization to look to the future,” NAR CEO Bob Goldberg said in a statement distributed by the company.

Goldberg announced he would be resigning at a closed-door staff meeting, The New York Times reported.

Goldberg had faced calls for his immediate resignation since August, when the Times published an article outlining the association had widespread complaints of harassment and discrimination.

NAR’s former President Kenny Parcell stepped down two days after the Times’s expose, which detailed reports from multiple women that they had been harassed or subjected to inappropriate conduct by Parcell and other NAR leaders.

But Goldberg’s resignation was not related to the sexual harassment allegations or the $1.8 billion legal verdict, Mantill Williams, a spokesman for the organization, told the Times.

A Missouri jury on Tuesday found NAR, HomeServices of America and Keller Williams liable for damages.

The lawsuit covered home sales that took place between April 2015 and June 2022. The Kansas City jury only deliberated for a few hours.

According to NAR President Tracy Kasper, the matter is not close to being final, even though the trial lasted 11 days. In a statement Tuesday, she said the association will appeal the liability finding.

Nykia Wright, the former chief executive of the Chicago Sun-Times, will step into Golder’s role as an interim chief executive, the Times reported.

Wright will begin Nov. 20, the company said in a statement. Goldberg will serve as an executive consultant “to help support the transition.” The company is looking for a permanent CEO.