Deere to Pay $99 Million in Right-to-Repair Settlement
Deere agreed to pay $99 million into a fund for farmers to settle a class action over repair access. The company will also provide digital tools for ten years.
The prominent agricultural equipment manufacturer DEERE & CO has agreed to establish a $99 million settlement fund to resolve a class-action lawsuit concerning "right-to-repair" practices in the United States. The settlement, filed on Monday in a federal court in Chicago, addresses long-standing grievances from farmers regarding the high costs and restricted access to repair tools for large agricultural machinery.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement, which still requires judicial approval, the settlement fund will compensate eligible plaintiffs who utilized authorized dealers for repairs on equipment such as tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters starting from January 2018. Furthermore, the company has pledged to make essential digital diagnostic and maintenance tools available to farmers for a period of 10 years.
This settlement addresses the issues raised in the 2022 complaint and brings this case to an end with no finding of wrongdoing.
The legal challenge was part of a wider national debate over whether manufacturers should be allowed to limit competition by controlling the software and hardware necessary for equipment maintenance. While this settlement concludes the class-action suit, the company continues to face a separate legal battle initiated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
In that ongoing case, regulators allege that the manufacturer has unfairly forced farmers to rely on its authorized dealer network, thereby inflating the costs of parts and labor. A federal judge ruled in early 2025 that the company must face the FTC's accusations.
Deere is blocking farmers from acquiring the tools and information necessary to repair their equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner.
The company has consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout the various legal proceedings.
