- John Deere agrees $99 million payout in class action lawsuit
- Lawsuit covers the right to repair for farmers on their own equipment
- It will also have to make its tools available to third parties for 10 years
Agricultural giant John Deere could be facing a major bill following the apparent end of a long-running lawsuit around the right to repair its farming equipment.
The company has agreed to pay a ‘historic settlement’ of $99 million into a fund for farms and individuals who participated in a class action lawsuit against it.
John Deere will also have to ensure its digital diagnostic, maintenance, and repair tools available to third parties for 10 years, after some farmers were reportedly forced to hack their own equipment in an attempt to solve issues.
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Right to repair
“As we continue to innovate industry leading equipment and technology solutions supported by our world-class dealer network, we are equally committed to providing customers and other service providers with access to repair resources,” said Denver Caldwell, company vice president, Aftermarket & Customer Support.
“We’re pleased that this resolution allows us to move forward and remain focused on what matters most – serving our customers.”
The payout, which still needs to be approved by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, will specifically be available for claimants involved who paid John Deere’s authorized dealers for large equipment repairs from January 2018 onwards.
It will see them recover around 26% and 53% of overcharge damages, court documents state, much higher than typical payouts from such lawsuits.
Right-to-repair lawsuits have been increasingly common in recent years, largely among customers of technology products such as laptops and smartphones, with several US states including Oregon and California having also passed similar legislation.
This led to Apple announcing its support in a move which surprised many, making it much easier (and cheaper) to fix broken iPhones or MacBooks away from official Apple stores.
Even the US Army has thrown its weight behind the idea, with both Democrats and Republicans backing a May 2025 move to allow the Army to have the right to repair its own equipment.
The European Union has its Right to Repair Directive coming into force in July 31, 2026, which will mean manufacturers have to legally include access to spare parts, repair manuals, and remove technical or contractual hurdles to independent repair. It will also look to cut down on so-called “parts pairing”, where software-side “marrying” of components can sabotages third-party exchanges, such as a printer rejecting a refilled ink cartridge.
Via The Drive
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