In late November of 2024, then-Chair Christian Twomey and current Chair Susanita de Diego wrote articles on CREB®Talk addressing and refuting unfounded allegations of misuse of member funds and nepotism that had been made anonymously in a defamatory social media post. They also thanked members for their support and committed to updating you on actions that CREB® was taking.
Today, CREB®’s legal counsel sent a letter to administrators of the Facebook account on which the allegations were made in an anonymous post.The letter outlines reasonable actions that the administrators are expected to take to mitigate the reputational damage caused to individuals who were named in the post and to CREB®, as well as to prevent harm from unfounded allegations and defamatory content regarding any CREB® member in the future. The letter also includes potential consequences and further actions, including potential legal action, should the administrators not comply with the requested actions.
The decision to take this approach was not made lightly. However, the defamatory post named members, which could affect their professional and personal reputations. The post could also affect the REALTOR® brand, which affects all CREB® members. Because of the serious nature of these consequences, it was decided a response equally as serious was required to protect important principles of how we interact, the members who were named, and all other members who rely on the good reputation of the REALTOR® brand, and CREB®.
CREB® is committed to constructive two-way dialogue with all of our members, even when the discussions are difficult, and encourage members to bring them up openly for the benefit of all members.Rather than posts on social media, anonymous or otherwise, members are encouraged to contact board members or President & CEO Alan Tennant directly or through CREB® Member Support, so that we can transform disagreements into open discussions that make CREB® stronger and that benefit all members.
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