$99M John Deere Settlement Ends Antitrust Litigation Over Alleged Repair Market Monopoly

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John Deere has agreed to pay $99,000,000 to resolve multidistrict litigation that alleged the farm equipment manufacturer monopolized the repair service market for its large agricultural equipment by not allowing farmers or third-party repair shops access to critical software and tools.

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The proposed $99 million John Deere right-to-repair settlement awaits preliminary approval from the court. If approved, the class action settlement will cover all individuals and entities that purchased repair services for Deere large agricultural equipment from John Deere or its authorized dealers in the United States at any time between January 10, 2018 and the date of preliminary approval.

ClassAction.org will update this page when the John Deere settlement website—DeereRepairSettlement.com—is live.

According to the settlement agreement, class members who submit a timely, valid claim form with proof of repairs made to their equipment are eligible to receive a pro rata (equal share) cash payment.

Court documents state that the final amount of each class member or entity’s payment will be based on the total labor hours spent on repairs for the subject large agricultural equipment.

ClassAction.org will update this page when information on how to submit a John Deere settlement claim form is available.

In addition to monetary compensation, the proposed settlement stipulates that John Deere, over a 10-year period, must provide owners, lessees, and independent repair providers with the software tools needed for the maintenance, diagnosis and repair of their Deere large agricultural equipment.

Should the John Deere settlement receive preliminary approval from the court, a final approval hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

Per court documents, the Deere agricultural equipment covered by the proposed class action settlement includes large and medium tractors (all 6000, 7000, 8000 and 9000 Series models); combines; cotton pickers; cotton strippers; sugarcane harvesters; and tillage, seeding and application equipment and sprayers.

The John Deere antitrust lawsuit alleged that the farm equipment manufacturer violated federal antitrust laws by executing an anticompetitive scheme to withhold critical digital repair tools from farmers and independent repair providers. Farmers were then forced to use authorized John Deere dealerships to conduct repairs, even when it was cheaper or more convenient to conduct independent repairs, per the filing.

Did you know that some class action settlements require no proof to submit a claim? Check out the latest current class action settlements.