Sperry Van Ness v. BCL-1946 S. Racine LLC - Real Estate Commission Dispute

IL Appellate Court Opinions

Filed February 27th, 2026

Detected February 27th, 2026

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Summary

The Illinois Appellate Court affirmed a lower court's decision, ruling that a real estate broker, Sperry Van Ness, LLC, is not entitled to commissions under its sales listing agreements. The court found that the properties were not sold as per the agreement terms.

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What changed

The Illinois Appellate Court, First District, affirmed the Circuit Court of Cook County's summary judgment in favor of defendants BCL-1946 S. Racine LLC, BCL-1645 West 17th LLC, and BCL-3340 Carpenter LLC. The plaintiff, real estate broker Sperry Van Ness, LLC (SVN), sought commissions for three properties it was hired to sell between 2019 and early 2020. However, the properties were ultimately removed from the market and transferred to new entities for refinancing without being sold under the terms of the exclusive sales listing agreements. The court found that SVN failed to meet the conditions for earning a commission as outlined in Section 2 of the agreements.

This ruling reinforces the importance of adhering to the specific terms and conditions of real estate listing agreements. For real estate professionals, this case highlights that failure to complete a sale or meet other stipulated conditions for commission entitlement, even after significant effort, can result in no commission being awarded. Regulated entities should review their own listing agreements to ensure clarity on commission triggers and compliance with contractual obligations to avoid similar disputes.