After reaching a settlement over a right-to-repair lawsuit with farmers in April, Deere & Co. is facing a new class action suit that alleges it also unfairly restricted repairs for its construction, lawn, and turf equipment. The case was brought by Christy Webber & Co., a landscaping operation in Chicago that services city landmarks like Soldier Field, Millennium Park and Navy Pier. The plaintiff alleged that Deere’s business practices have inflated repair costs and increased wait times since May 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District Court of Illinois mirrors other right-to-repair litigation against Deere. Earlier this year, an Illinois federal judge in the Western Division preliminarily approved a $99 million settlement between the company and a group of farmers and repair shop owners.
Deere has faced legal scrutiny for its repair tool restrictions that require farmers to use its dealer network for tractor repairs, allegedly resulting in higher costs and equipment delays that affect planting and harvesting schedules. Christy Webber argued in its lawsuit that equipment owners are running into similar issues with Deere’s lawnmowers, bulldozers and other construction and forestry equipment.
“When Deere withholds the fully functional repair tools needed to diagnose, calibrate, reprogram, clear codes, pair parts, and return them to service, Deere C&F equipment owners face the same lock-in, delays, overcharges, and loss of repair choice that has drawn judicial, regulatory and public ire in the agriculture segment,” the 77-page complaint says.
Deere has repeatedly denied these allegations and taken steps to make its electronic repair tools more available to the public. In July, the company launched Operations Center Pro Service, which offers a suite of self-repair tools for agriculture, turf, construction and forestry equipment. It is designed to replace the tools under legal scrutiny and is available for an annual fee of $195 per machine for customers.
Christy Webber argued, however, that Deere has not made a true equivalent of the “fully functional tool” to construction and forestry equipment owners to date. According to the complaint, the lawn care service was forced to spend “hundreds of thousands of dollars” over the contested period on inflated costs for repairs and parts from a Deere dealer.
Deere is still facing a challenge brought by the Federal Trade Commission and is awaiting final approval of its proposed settlement with farmers and agriculture repair shop owners. A final judgment on the latter case is expected following a fairness hearing scheduled Oct. 29.