The Department of Justice and eight states on Friday accused software company RealPage of unlawfully scheming to undermine competition among landlords and create a monopoly that harms millions of renters. RealPage “allows landlords to manipulate, distort, and subvert market forces,” the Justice Department said in a civil complaint in U.S. District Court in North Carolina. “At bottom, RealPage is an algorithmic intermediary that collects, combines, and exploits landlords’ competitively sensitive information,” the antitrust lawsuit said. “Antitrust law does not become obsolete simply because competitors find new ways to unlawfully act in concert,” Garland said. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris last week unveiled an economic plan that aims to lower rental costs in part by cracking down on the companies behind price-setting tools that let landlords collude.

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Persons: “, General Merrick Garland, ” Garland, ”, RealPage, Garland, Kamala Harris, — CNBC’s Eamon Javers Organizations: of Justice, Justice Department, DOJ, “, Democratic Locations: U.S, North Carolina, “, North Carolina , California , Colorado , Connecticut, Minnesota , Oregon , Tennessee, Washington