You cannot claim a fixed dollar amount in this right-to-repair settlement. Your payment depends on your share of qualifying dealer repair labor hours from a fund of $99 million plus interest. A right-to-repair case challenges limits on who can fix a product and what tools they can use.
Here, farmers alleged Deere monopolized repair by withholding diagnostic tools. Deere agreed to pay $99 million plus interest to resolve those 2022 multidistrict lawsuits. It admitted no wrongdoing, according to The Register in its settlement report.
Official resources:
- Register through Theregister’s official page — Use this page to review requirements and register directly.
- Read the official notice from Govdelivery — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- Who qualifies for payment?
- How is your share calculated?
- Why can a big repair bill still pay little?
- Will the FTC settlement pay you separately?
Who qualifies for payment?
The class covers persons who paid Deere or authorized dealers for repairs to large agricultural equipment with electronic control units. The covered period runs Jan.
10, 2018 to May 18, 2026, according to DTN Progressive Farmer in its class-coverage report. Check these points before gathering papers: If one element is missing, that repair does not create a claim under this formula.
- paid Deere or an authorized dealer
- repair was for large equipment with an electronic control unit
- repair date falls inside the covered period
How is your share calculated?
Cash payments are pro rata by dealer repair labor hours. Each claimant receives its qualifying hours divided by all valid-claim hours. The Register reported that no fixed per-farmer dollar amount was announced. With interest, the fund will exceed $100 million.
That represents 26% to 53% of estimated $190 million to $387.3 million in overcharge damages, according to DTN Progressive Farmer in its damages analysis. That range sits above the typical 5% to 15% antitrust recovery. Practically, more qualifying hours mean a larger share. A large number of valid claims lowers the dollar value of each hour.
Why can a big repair bill still pay little?
The formula compensates only labor-overcharge amounts. It excludes parts, parts markups, downtime, crop losses and other consequential damages, as DTN Progressive Farmer reported.
So a high invoice driven by parts may produce a small payment. A lower invoice with many dealer labor hours may produce a larger payment. Labor hours, not total spending or lost income, control the result.
Will the FTC settlement pay you separately?
No. The separate July 8, 2026 FTC and five-state Deere settlement pays farmers nothing directly.
Deere pays the states a combined $1 million for costs and attorney fees, according to Agri-Pulse in its settlement summary. That government deal instead requires Deere for 10 years, under FTC and state supervision, to give farmers and independent shops the same repair resources as dealers on fair and reasonable terms, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Keep dealer invoices that show labor hours, because parts-only spending does not raise your share.