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Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $99 million as part of a settlement that would resolve a class action lawsuit accusing the farm equipment giant of monopolizing repair services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of\u00a0\u201cright to repair\u201d complaints<\/a>\u00a0over the years. The deal announced Monday\u2014which still needs final approval from the court\u2014would settle a 2022 lawsuit that accused the company of withholding repair software and conspiring with authorized dealers to force farmers to use their services for repairs, when they could otherwise fix tractors and other equipment themselves or use independent alternatives.<\/p>\n The plaintiffs alleged that meant Deere and its dealers could charge higher, \u201csupracompetitive\u201d prices and reap benefits from an \u201cunlawfully restrained\u201d market, per court filings.<\/p>\n Deere has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and maintained Monday it\u2019s dedicated to supporting customers\u2019 ability and access needed to repair their equipment. But the company agreed to the settlement \u201cto move forward and remain focused on what matters most\u2014serving our customers,\u201d Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Under the proposed agreement, filed in federal court in Illinois, the $99 million would go into a settlement fund for class members who paid Deere or its authorized dealers for large agricultural equipment repairs from Jan. 10, 2018, until the date of the deal\u2019s preliminary approval.<\/p>\n The company also agreed to additional injunctive relief, aimed at strengthening the availability of repair resources and things like diagnostic checks.<\/p>\n Beyond this case, Deere still faces separate litigation from the Federal Trade Commission. The\u00a0FTC sued Deere<\/a>\u00a0in January 2025, at the end of the Biden administration, accusing the company of \u201cunfair practices that have driven up equipment repair costs for farmers while also depriving farmers of the ability to make timely repairs.\u201d Deere at the time said the claims were baseless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cRight to repair\u201d calls have piled up across sectors over the years, particularly as\u00a0technology found its way<\/a>\u00a0into more and more products workers and consumers rely on. Beyond farm equipment, makers of goods like\u00a0smartphones and video game consoles<\/a>\u00a0have also been accused of withholding tools or creating software-based locks that prevent even simple updates, unless they\u2019re done by a shop authorized by the company\u2014in turn,\u00a0hampering independent repair businesses<\/a>. Under public pressure, lawmakers in\u00a0several states<\/a>\u00a0have tried to combat this.<\/p>\n