Right-to-repair settlement gets preliminary approval

A federal court has granted preliminary approval to John Deere’s proposed $99 million antitrust settlement involving farmer right-to-repair lawsuits. DTN said that clears the way for producers to review or challenge the agreement before final approval later this year. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approved the preliminary settlement on Monday in a case involving lawsuits filed by farmers in 2022. Plaintiffs alleged that Deere monopolized the repair market by restricting access to diagnostic software and repair tools for company equipment. The court said the proposed agreement appears fair, reasonable, and adequate pending a final fairness hearing scheduled for Oct. 29, 2026. Under the agreement, Deere would establish a $99 million settlement fund for eligible farmers who paid authorized dealers for repairs since January 2018. The company also agreed to provide farmers access to digital diagnostic and repair tools for large agricultural equipment for the next ten years.