How is this legal?
I have a listing that doesn't expire until November. The other day I'm checking the mls for new listings and notice that my property has been newly listed by another firm. I call the seller and they won't return my calls and in the meantime I receive an email from the new "listing" broker asking me to take down my sign. 

um...fuck you dude...that's my listing until November. So I'm about to report these assholes to the real estate commission when I receive a motion from an attorney asking me to remove my sign and that he's sending me a bill for his attorney fees. 

After calling everybody and their mom trying to figure out what's going on, I finally receive a letter from a bankruptcy attorney that basically says...you're fired, we've brought in our own broker. A heads up would have been nice. 

So my questions is...how is this legal? Is the listing agreement not a legally binding document? This wasn't the world's best property or anything but I've put in a lot of research hours trying to become an expert on it.  

I can't help but think...what if this would have been a $5 or $10M property? Would I just be up shit creek with no choice but to hand it over to another firm? 
[{"id": "crwls9i", "text": "What State?", "replies": [{"id": "crwu4et", "text": "NC", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "crwlti6", "text": "oh man I'd be pissed.  \"please take your sign down, btw here is your bill for me telling you that\".\n\nNo clue but I'd have thought you'd have to be a litigant in the case if they were going to void your contract?\n\nI wouldn't contact your client again though once he has engaged council.  Whether you are due anything or not you might be considered a creditor there\n\n//wildly speculating\n\nWhats your brokerage attorney say?", "replies": [{"id": "crwu9x1", "text": "This is how it should have played out....\n\n\"Hi, this property is currently in receivership and we're relisting the property with our preferred broker.\"\n\n\n\"Oh okay. I'll go ahead and remove my sign and take the listing off the MLS.\"", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "crwm4sx", "text": "The listing agreements my company has with our listing broker usually stipulates proper termination procedures and almost always includes a \"written notice.\"  Without notice, the agreement should be binding assuming both parties executed in good faith.\n\nThe \"bankruptcy\" part of your explanation is interesting.  I'm not sure if the owner declared bankruptcy or had to go to court for it.  There may be a chance that the property fell into receivership and someone else is now calling the shots and no one bothered to tell you.  But I'm just speculating...\n\nGood luck and sorry to hear.", "replies": [{"id": "crwm6u5", "text": "&gt; There may be a chance that the property fell into receivership and someone else is now calling the shots and no one bothered to tell you.\n\nYeah that's the only thing I can think of where this would make sense.  Otherwise the attorney himself wouldn't be calling the shots.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "crwu48p", "text": "I believe our listing agreements also have termination procedures that require written notice but I guess it's a moot point now since we figured out that it was in receivership. ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "crwnei9", "text": "Sounds to me like the property is in receivership now. If that is in fact the case, the owner has defaulted and the lender got a court order to appoint a receiver who becomes the de facto owner of the asset. At this point, your agreement becomes void since there is a new owner.\n\nSource: Worked as a receiver for a while. Ugly work.", "replies": [{"id": "crwto9k", "text": "Yep, you were right. The receiver sent me an email earlier apologizing for the inconvenience. \n\num thanks, I guess? ", "replies": [{"id": "crwubav", "text": "I sent the list of registered prospects to the sellers but should I have sent it to the receiver? I'd think they'd still have to honor that part of the listing agreement. ", "replies": [{"id": "crwugad", "text": "They are a different party.  They represent the court not the seller.  I don't think they owe you anything.\n\nIf any of your prospects were unrepped you might consider reaching out to them", "replies": [], "depth": 4}, {"id": "crwuy3c", "text": "what /u/numnumlobster said. You can grab them up, but just be careful not to release confidential information that you learned from being the Seller's agent.", "replies": [{"id": "crwvsor", "text": "might want to hurry too because I'm sure the new listing broker is going to laugh there ass off about them being protected while they run through it like a call list to let them all know they are the people to talk to now and they will be much more negotiable than the last owner etc etc ;)", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "crwnlau", "text": "Basically what /u/westosterone26 said. At least in Texas, something like when a property is foreclosed on and the bank/lender takes ownership in the property, your agreement is terminated. Basically, there is a new owner and they get to list it with whomever they want because they did not sign a listing agreement with you.\n", "replies": [{"id": "crwu6dc", "text": "that's exactly what happened. You think they'd have the courtesy of relisting it with the same broker who, you know, already knows the property, but whatever. ", "replies": [{"id": "cs49cys", "text": "The receiver is usually a broker as well so they can pay themselves the commission on the sale. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]