AG Ellison sues to break up John Deere’s ‘monopoly’ on farm equipment repairs

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing farm equipment maker John Deere, accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its dealers to repair equipment.

The company, headquartered in Moline, Illinois, has driven up repair costs for farmers for decades by only authorizing its dealers to use a proprietary software tool to diagnose and fix electronic malfunctions, the lawsuit alleges.

Ellison joined Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Federal Trade Commission in the lawsuit filed in an Illinois federal district court.

“By making this tool available only to Deere dealers, Deere forces farmers to turn to Deere dealers for critical repairs rather than complete the repairs themselves or choose an [independent repair provider] that may be cheaper, closer, faster, or more trusted,” the filing states.

In addition to asking the court to find that John Deere violated federal and state antitrust statutes, the plaintiffs seek to make the manufacturer’s software repair tool available to equipment owners and independent repair shops.

Deere & Company sent 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS a statement in response to the lawsuit on Wednesday.

“This lawsuit, filed on the eve of a change in Administration, ignores the Company’s long-standing commitment to customer self-repair and the consistent progress and innovation we have made over time, including the launch of Equipment Mobile in 2023 and the previously announced launch of new capabilities for John Deere Operations Center later this year. The complaint is based on flagrant misrepresentations of the facts and fatally flawed legal theories, and it punishes innovation and procompetitive product design. John Deere will vigorously defend itself against this baseless lawsuit.”

The litigation in federal court is Minnesota’s latest effort to protect consumers’ “right to repair.”

Last July, the Digital Fair Repair Act went into effect in Minnesota, requiring electronics manufacturers to make “documentation, parts, and tools” available to independent repair providers for any devices sold after July 1, 2021. The law carves out exceptions for farm equipment, vehicles, medical devices and video game consoles.

Gov. Tim Walz signed the law as part of a commerce omnibus bill passed by the Legislature in 2023.

The full response from Deere & Company can be found below.