NEW YORK, NY – The Real Brokerage Inc. (NASDAQ: REAX) (d/b/a “Real”), a cloud-based real estate brokerage, is facing a lawsuit from its former Chief Financial Officer Michelle Ressler alleging that the company sought to oust her and replace her with a less qualified man after she became pregnant with her first child.
Lawyers at Outten & Golden LLP filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday. It accuses Real of unlawfully firing Ms. Ressler three months after her return from maternity leave, using the skewed “results” of a targeted internal audit to make it appear that she was fired for a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason.
“This case involves textbook claims for gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation,” said Allison Van Kampen, Partner at Outten & Golden and counsel for Ms. Ressler. “It’s infuriating that, in 2025, men in leadership still seem to believe that women cannot be effective executives if they have a baby at home.”
Ms. Ressler joined Real in July 2020 as VP of Finance and was promoted to CFO three months later. She played an instrumental role in Real’s success, including driving annual revenue growth from $16 million to $1.3 billion in just four years.
Shortly after Ms. Ressler told leadership she was pregnant and planned to take maternity leave, she alleges that Real began to systematically reassign her business units and exclude her from key decisions. She further claims that Real’s leadership made multiple discriminatory comments toward her and repeatedly ignored her concerns about compliance risks, while grooming a male subordinate to replace her as CFO.
Ms. Ressler also claims Real violated the Family and Medical Leave Act by requiring her to work throughout her maternity leave, which began on August 15, 2024, and ended January 21, 2025.
About three months later, on April 23, 2025, Real abruptly fired Ms. Ressler, claiming that an “internal audit” revealed she charged a handful of personal expenses to a company credit card. However, this was not the real reason, according to the lawsuit; not only were the charges clearly unintentional and immaterial, but male executives who charged personal expenses to the business and otherwise engaged in worse behavior did not face discipline. Ms. Ressler maintains that she did not violate Company policies, and that Real only conducted this “audit” to create pretextual grounds for her termination.
“This lawsuit is about the truth,” said Ressler. “As CFO, I consistently led with a commitment to sound governance, transparency, and performance – grounded in quiet, strategic leadership. In an industry where women comprise a majority of the workforce but too few of the decision-makers, we need more leaders willing to challenge outdated, discriminatory norms and lead with integrity. I’m coming forward not just to right Real’s wrongs against me and hold it accountable, but also to demonstrate what resilience looks like when it’s rooted in principle, precision, and results.”
The case is Michelle Ressler v. The Real Brokerage Inc. et al, Case No. 1:25-cv-04863 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
About Outten & Golden LLP
Outten & Golden LLP is the largest U.S. law firm dedicated to the representation of employees. With offices in New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, the firm has taken on many of the country’s largest and most powerful employers, forging landmark settlements and historic verdicts that contribute to a more equitable workplace. As a mission-driven firm, O&G uses litigation and other means to expand the rights of all employees to fair wages and working conditions, and a workplace free of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Learn more at www.outtengolden.com.
