John Deere has agreed to pay $99 million into a settlement fund for farms and farmers that are part of a class action lawsuit filed against the agricultural equipment maker over costs and access to repairs.
The case is part of broader scrutiny in the U.S. over so-called right-to-repair practices, with regulators and plaintiffs arguing that some manufacturers limit competition by controlling access to repair tools and software.
The settlement fund covers eligible plaintiffs who paid Deere’s authorized dealers for repairs to large agricultural equipment during a period that began in January 2018, according to a document filed on Monday, April 6, in federal court in Chicago.
In the settlement, Deere also agreed to make available to farmers for 10 years “the digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair” of large agricultural equipment, including tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters, the filing showed.
A judge’s approval will be needed for the proposed accord with Deere, which is based in Moline, Illinois in the Quad Cities and has its core manufacturing facilities in Iowa.
“This settlement addresses the issues raised in the 2022 complaint and brings this case to an end with no finding of wrongdoing,” Deere said in a separate statement.
Deere also faces a separate lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. A U.S. judge ruled in 2025 that Deere must face that lawsuit, which accused the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs.
Deere is blocking farmers from acquiring the “tools and information necessary to repair their equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner,” the FTC had said in a court filing in April. Deere has denied the wrongdoing.
The settlement comes as the Iowa Legislature considers a bill that would require equipment manufacturers to make available to independent dealers and farmers the documentation, parts, software, tools and data needed to repair the equipment, “with fair and reasonable terms and costs.”
Deere and Iowa equipment dealers have opposed the bill. Farmers’ groups contend that being able to repair equipment on their own is an economic necessity and is especially essential when machines break down during time-sensitive periods such as planting and harvest.
Deere stock is down nearly $90 a share from a record high of $662.49 in February.
Reuters contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: John Deere to pay $99 million settlement in right-to-repair lawsuit
Reporting by From staff and news services, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
