REAL Brokerage
June 10, 2025
Michelle Ressler, the former chief financial officer of The Real Brokerage Inc., has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was pushed out of the company after becoming pregnant and taking maternity leave.
The complaint, filed June 10, 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation, and claims Real orchestrated her termination under false pretenses and replaced her with a less qualified male employee. Ressler also alleges she was required to work during her maternity leave in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Ressler joined Real in July 2020 as vice president of finance and was promoted to CFO three months later. Her leave ran from August 15, 2024 to January 21, 2025, and Real ended her employment about three months after her return. According to her attorneys, the company cited an internal audit that found she had charged personal expenses to a corporate credit card. Ressler says the charges were minor and unintentional and that male executives who did similar things were not disciplined.
A Real spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Ravi Jani, who joined Real in September 2023 as vice president of investor relations and financial planning and analysis, was named CFO when Ressler departed in April 2025.