(Bloomberg) -- Real estate brokerage Compass Inc. said it’s well-positioned to negotiate any changes in the industry that may result from legal challenges to how agents are paid.

Comments by Chief Executive Officer Robert Reffkin on Monday were the first by Compass since a jury in Missouri awarded $1.8 billion to home sellers who alleged that the industry had conspired to keep agent commissions high. While Compass wasn’t named in that lawsuit, it’s among the defendants in a more-ambitious case that’s seeking more than $100 billion in damages.  

Along with a class-action suit in Illinois and a potential antitrust investigation by the US Department of Justice, the actions are likely to compel real estate companies to reinvent how they earn revenue from buyers and sellers. Compass’ business is built around serving agents, so it may have to adapt to successfully weather industry changes.

“We will respond accordingly to all the complaints against us at the appropriate time,” Reffkin said on a call with investors. “While there has been an enormous amount of speculation as to what these lawsuits will mean for commissions, there are a few reasons why we feel confident that Compass is well-positioned.”

Compass, the largest US residential brokerage by sales volume, has “some of the most productive agents and the only end-to-end technology platform in our industry,” Reffkin said. The company also is training its agents to get buyers to sign broker agreements to be able to work with them. And most of its business is in the luxury segment, “where we think buyers will always want the help of an adviser,” Reffkin said.  

Also on Monday, Compass reported revenue of $1.34 billion in the third quarter, compared with an average analyst estimate of $1.31 billion in data compiled by Bloomberg. 

The company argues that it’s weathering the downturn in home sales better than the market as a whole. Its 48,134 transactions during the quarter marked an annual decline of 12%, compared with 20% nationally. 

After spending nearly $1 billion developing its technology platform, Compass has been working on cutting costs in the past year as home sales slowed. The company reported positive free cash flow for the first time in the second quarter even as revenue declined in the period. Compass had $12 million in free cash flow in the third quarter.

Compass shares fell on Monday, closing at $2.12. They are down 9% this year. 

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