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Deere Agrees to Pay $99M to Settle 'Right to Repair' Lawsuit
Deal Needs Final Court Approval
NEW YORK — 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.
The Moline, Ill.-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of“right to repair” complaintsover the years.
The deal announced April 6 — which still needs final approval from the court — would 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.
The plaintiffs alleged that meant Deere and its dealers could charge higher, “supracompetitive” prices and reap benefits from an “unlawfully restrained” market, per court filings.
Deere has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and maintained April 6 it's dedicated to supporting customers' ability and access needed to repair their equipment.
But the company agreed to the settlement “to move forward and remain focused on what matters most — serving our customers,” Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said in a statement.
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 agriculture equipment repairs between Jan. 10, 2018, until the date of the deal's preliminary approval.
The company also agreed to additional injunctive relief, aimed at strengthening the availability of repair resources and things like diagnostic checks.
Beyond this case, Deere still faces separate litigation from the Federal Trade Commission. TheFTC sued Deerein January 2025, at the end of the Biden administration, accusing the company of “unfair practices that have driven up equipment repair costs for farmers while also depriving farmers of the ability to make timely repairs.” Deere at the time said the claims were baseless.
“Right to repair” calls have piled up across sectors over the years, particularly astechnology found its wayinto more and more products workers and consumers rely on. Beyond farm equipment, makers of goods likesmartphones and video game consoleshave also been accused of withholding tools or creating software-based locks that prevent even simple updates, unless they’re done by a shop authorized by the company — in turn,hampering independent repair businesses. Under public pressure, lawmakers inseveral stateshave tried to combat this.
