A federal judge has granted preliminary approval to John Deere’s proposed $99 million settlement in the ongoing right-to-repair lawsuit brought by farmers across the country.
The case claims Deere unfairly restricted access to diagnostic software and repair tools, forcing producers to rely on authorized dealers for repairs. Under the proposed settlement, Deere would make additional diagnostic and repair tools available to farmers and independent repair shops by the end of this year.
The settlement would apply to producers who paid Deere dealers for repair services between January of 2018 and this month. Payments to farmers would be based on alleged repair labor overcharges, not downtime, crop losses or parts costs.
Court documents estimate more than 200,000 farmers could qualify. Farmers have until September 2026 to object before a final approval hearing next October.