Deere reaches settlement in ‘right to repair’ antitrust lawsuit
OEM to pay $99M plus interest into settlement fund
Deere & Co. has settled its multidistrict antitrust lawsuit over equipment repair access for farmers and independent repair service providers.
The agreement, reached April 6, addresses claims filed in 2022 alleging Deere restricted access to repair tools and services, according to a Deere release issued the day of the settlement. The settlement must be approved in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and includes no admission of wrongdoing from Deere.
The company will pay $99 million plus interest into a settlement fund for farmers and other customers who paid for repairs through authorized dealers since 2018, as they did not have the option to go elsewhere for repairs, according to an April 6 court filing in the Northern District of Illinois.
Plaintiffs had alleged Deere limited access to key repair software, forcing equipment owners to rely on authorized dealers and pay higher service costs, according to the filing.
The settlement also requires Deere to expand access to repair tools, manuals and diagnostic software for customers and independent service providers, according to the filing. Those resources must be offered on “fair and reasonable” terms for at least 10 years.
The dispute is part of a broader “right to repair” debate across the agriculture sector, with potential implications for maintenance costs, equipment uptime and servicing models tied to financed assets, with Deere still planning investments in those areas, according to its release.
The settlement money will be distributed under a court-approved plan, and class members may opt out, according to the filing.
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