Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $99 million to settle a class action that accused the company of monopolizing repair services for farm equipment by restricting access to repair software and channeling repairs through authorized options. The proposed settlement, described as a way to resolve claims raised in a 2022 lawsuit, was filed in federal court in Illinois and would still need final court approval before it takes effect.
According to the settlement terms described by The Associated Press, the plaintiffs alleged that Deere and its authorized dealers withheld repair software and worked together to push farmers toward using Deere or authorized repair services when farmers could otherwise fix their tractors and other equipment themselves or seek independent alternatives. The plaintiffs also argued those practices allowed Deere and its dealers to charge higher “supracompetitive” prices and benefit from an “unlawfully restrained” repair market, as described in court filings.
The agreement would establish a settlement fund for class members who paid Deere or its authorized dealers for large agriculture equipment repairs between Jan. 10, 2018 and the date of preliminary approval for the deal. Under the proposed terms, the $99 million would be directed into that fund as part of the settlement process, the AP reported.
Deere continued to deny wrongdoing, the AP said, and the company maintained that it supports customers’ ability and access needed to repair equipment. Denver Caldwell, Deere’s vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said in a statement that the company agreed to the settlement “to move forward and remain focused on what matters most — serving our customers,” according to the report.
The proposed settlement also calls for additional injunctive relief, which the AP described as aimed at strengthening the availability of repair resources, including diagnostic checks. The terms were filed as part of the settlement proposal in federal court in Illinois, with the deal still awaiting final approval by the court.
Beyond the class action, the AP report said Deere continues to face separate litigation involving the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC sued Deere in January 2025, accusing the company of “unfair practices” that drove up equipment repair costs for farmers while also depriving farmers of the ability to make timely repairs, the report said. Deere at the time said the FTC claims were baseless.
The “right to repair” push has grown in multiple consumer and industrial sectors as technology has expanded into everyday products, the AP said. Along with farm equipment, makers of goods such as smartphones and video game consoles have faced similar allegations about withholding tools or creating software-based locks that limit updates unless they are performed by authorized shops—an issue that has prompted lawmakers in several states to pursue reforms, the report said.