Key Highlights
- Settlement fund of $99 million established to compensate eligible farmers
- Eligible class members include those who used authorized dealers for equipment repairs since January 2018
- Ten-year commitment to provide digital repair tools, diagnostic software, and technical manuals
- Deere emphasized the settlement includes no admission of liability
- Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against the company continues separately
Deere & Co has reached a resolution in a class action lawsuit concerning repair access policies, establishing a $99 million compensation fund for farmers while committing to provide repair tools and resources for the next ten years.
Court documents filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois outline the settlement terms. Farmers who paid authorized Deere dealers for large agricultural equipment repairs dating back to January 2018 may qualify for compensation.
According to Deere, the agreement “addresses the issues raised in the 2022 complaint and brings this case to an end with no finding of wrongdoing.”
Judicial approval remains pending before the settlement becomes effective.
Under the terms, Deere has pledged to provide digital repair tools to farmers and independent service providers for a decade. This access encompasses tools, technical manuals, and diagnostic software for large agricultural machinery including tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters.
Plaintiffs alleged that Deere restricted repair options by directing farmers exclusively toward its authorized dealer network, resulting in elevated repair expenses.
Settlement Terms and Coverage
The $99 million compensation pool will be allocated among qualifying class members — agricultural operations and individual farmers who meet eligibility criteria based on repair expenditures through Deere’s dealer network from January 2018 forward.
The repair tool access provision extends beyond monetary compensation. Deere must provide customers and independent service providers with “digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair” of its large agricultural equipment throughout the ten-year period.
This provision addressed a central concern raised by plaintiffs and repair advocacy groups, who maintained that restricting repair access to authorized dealers created monopolistic control over service pricing.
Throughout the litigation, Deere has maintained its position denying any improper conduct.
Federal Trade Commission Litigation Continues
This settlement addresses the class action lawsuit but does not conclude all legal challenges facing Deere.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s separate lawsuit against the company remains active. In 2025, a federal judge determined that Deere must proceed to trial in that case, which alleges the company compelled farmers to use its authorized dealer network while increasing repair costs.
According to FTC court filings, Deere prevented farmers from obtaining the “tools and information necessary to repair their equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner.”
Deere has contested these claims as well.
The class action settlement concludes the private litigation initiated with a 2022 complaint. The FTC’s legal action continues as a distinct proceeding.
