John Deere Just Got Hit With A Massive Class Action Lawsuit
John Deere just got slammed with a massive class action lawsuit for a concerning reason.
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John Deere is under fire for an alleged tractor repair sham. The tractor company has been hit with a lawsuit regarding keeping its repair tools private. John Deere has held information about its vehicles hidden, making it difficult for farmers to repair their own equipment, sparking a class-action lawsuit.
The John Deere lawsuit pertains to a few different accusations. The company apparently utilized software locks and made repair information exclusive, leaving farmers unequipped to deal with tractor breakdowns themselves. John Deere’s inability to aid farmers has been acknowledged for years, including from the Biden Administration.
For those unfamiliar with the agriculture industry, farmers typically have many options to avert a tractor’s breakdown. With non-John Deere tractors, farmers have either available instructions and tools for their repair or an independent mechanic. John Deere’s privatizing of its repair software leaves farmers with no other option than to use the company’s facilities and products. The lawsuit accuses John Deere of monopolizing the industry and harming the agricultural workers, the company’s primary demographic.
The John Deere lawsuit follows years of complaints from other companies regarding antitrust violations. These laws are set in place to protect businesses and commerce and target companies complicit in price-fixing and monopolization. John Deere deliberately undermines antitrust laws by making it impossible for farmers to repair their equipment independently.
The agriculture industry experienced significant pushback against antitrust laws from John Deere. The tractor corporation lobbied against legislation eliminating companies using software locks and other exclusive impositions. John Deere utilized agricultural trade groups to push less-regulatory laws that would still hinder small farms nationwide. The constant lobbying won’t stop the impending lawsuit, which displays Deere’s long history of monopolization.
Preceding the John Deere lawsuit, a secondary market boom began on the heels of the company’s unfair business tactics. Used tractors are selling more frequently than before due to the accessibility of their repair options. If John Deere’s locks continue, the market might leave the megacorporation in the dust.
A North Dakota company called Forest River Farms was the first to sue John Deere for alleged antitrust infringements. Forest River Farms went into detail about the impact of John Deere’s monopolization, referencing the devastation of independent mechanics’ inability to repair the specified farming equipment. The lawsuit stated how Deere “cornered” vulnerable workers and utilized exclusivity for monetary gain.
In a society founded on capitalism, John Deere’s repair privatization follows a long list of American companies. The most notable is Apple, a tech company making it harder for its phones and laptops to be repaired without using its services. As antitrust violations and economic disturbances attract visibility, lawsuits against John Deere and other business behemoths are occurring more regularly.
One of the critical lawmakers that noticed this growing epidemic was President Joe Biden. Early in his presidency, he signed an executive order granting farmers the right to repair their own equipment. This marked the first time a president signed a decree on citizens’ right to fix their own items independently. These types of orders strengthen the progressing John Deere lawsuit since more politicians are starting to understand the destruction of big business monopolization.
