New York
Deere & Co agrees to pay $99 million to settle ‘right to repair’ lawsuit
NEW YORK (AP) — Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $99 million as part of a settlement that would resolve a class action lawsuit accusing the farm equipment giant of monopolizing repair services.
The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of “right to repair” complaints over the years. The deal announced Monday — which still needs final approval from the court — would settle a 2022 lawsuit that accused the company of withholding repair software and conspiring with authorized dealers to force farmers to use their services for repairs, when they could otherwise fix tractors and other equipment themselves or use independent alternatives.
The plaintiffs alleged that meant Deere and its dealers could charge higher, “supracompetitive” prices and reap benefits from an “unlawfully restrained” market, per court filings.
Deere has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and maintained Monday it’s dedicated to supporting customers’ ability and access needed to repair their equipment. But the company agreed to the settlement “to move forward and remain focused on what matters most — serving our customers,” Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said in a statement.
Under the proposed agreement, filed in federal court in Illinois, the $99 million would go into a settlement fund for class members who paid Deere or its authorized dealers for large agriculture equipment repairs between Jan. 10, 2018 until the date of the deal’s preliminary approval.
The company also agreed to additional injunctive relief, aimed at strengthening the availability of repair resources and things like diagnostic checks.
Beyond this case, Deere still faces separate litigation from the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC sued Deere in January 2025, at the end of the Biden administration, accusing the company of “unfair practices that have driven up equipment repair costs for farmers while also depriving farmers of the ability to make timely repairs.” Deere at the time said the claims were baseless.
“Right to repair” calls have piled up across sectors over the years, particularly as technology found its way into more and more products workers and consumers rely on. Beyond farm equipment, makers of goods like smartphones and video game consoles have also been accused of withholding tools or creating software-based locks that prevent even simple updates, unless they’re done by a shop authorized by the company — in turn, hampering independent repair businesses. Under public pressure, lawmakers in several states have tried to combat this.
Deere & Co agrees to pay $99 million to settle ‘right to repair’ lawsuit
NEW YORK (AP) — Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $99 million as part of a settlement that would resolve a class action lawsuit accusing the farm equipment giant of monopolizing repair services.
The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of “right to repair” complaints over the years. The deal announced Monday — which still needs final approval from the court — would settle a 2022 lawsuit that accused the company of withholding repair software and conspiring with authorized dealers to force farmers to use their services for repairs, when they could otherwise fix tractors and other equipment themselves or use independent alternatives.
The plaintiffs alleged that meant Deere and its dealers could charge higher, “supracompetitive” prices and reap benefits from an “unlawfully restrained” market, per court filings.
Deere has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and maintained Monday it’s dedicated to supporting customers’ ability and access needed to repair their equipment. But the company agreed to the settlement “to move forward and remain focused on what matters most — serving our customers,” Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support, said in a statement.
Under the proposed agreement, filed in federal court in Illinois, the $99 million would go into a settlement fund for class members who paid Deere or its authorized dealers for large agriculture equipment repairs between Jan. 10, 2018 until the date of the deal’s preliminary approval.
The company also agreed to additional injunctive relief, aimed at strengthening the availability of repair resources and things like diagnostic checks.
Beyond this case, Deere still faces separate litigation from the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC sued Deere in January 2025, at the end of the Biden administration, accusing the company of “unfair practices that have driven up equipment repair costs for farmers while also depriving farmers of the ability to make timely repairs.” Deere at the time said the claims were baseless.
“Right to repair” calls have piled up across sectors over the years, particularly as technology found its way into more and more products workers and consumers rely on. Beyond farm equipment, makers of goods like smartphones and video game consoles have also been accused of withholding tools or creating software-based locks that prevent even simple updates, unless they’re done by a shop authorized by the company — in turn, hampering independent repair businesses. Under public pressure, lawmakers in several states have tried to combat this.
New York
Judge tosses PETA’s lawsuit against the American Kennel Club over dog breed health
NEW YORK (AP) — The animal rights group PETA’s lawsuit over the health of French bulldogs and some other popular dog breeds has been dismissed, with a judge saying a New York law was misapplied to the case.
The suit, filed last year, marked a new front in the PETA’s long-running campaign against dog breeders. The case accused the American Kennel Club of promulgating unhealthy “standards,” or ideals, for Frenchies — the nation’s most prevalent dog breed, by the club’s count — as well as bulldogs, Chinese shar-peis, dachshunds and pugs. The AKC, the nation’s oldest purebred dog registry, rejected the claims and said it prioritizes canine health.
Club President Gina DiNardo hailed the decision Tuesday.
PETA, also called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said its lawyers were assessing any legal options.
Founder Ingrid Newkirk urged people to adopt dogs from shelters instead of buying purebred pups.
The suit invoked a New York law that is generally used to challenge state and local government decisions, though it’s occasionally applied to private organizations. But those have been organizations with some authority over the people suing them, such as union members bringing complaints about their leadership or co-op apartment residents suing their building’s board, state Judge David B. Cohen said in a decision filed Monday.
Since PETA isn’t subject to the kennel club’s authority, the case “must be dismissed,” he wrote, without opining on the dog health issues at the heart of the case.
It focused on canine ailments that can be associated with flat faces — such as those of bulldogs, pugs and Frenchies — or with the short legs and long backs that dachshunds have. Shar-peis, meanwhile, may suffer spates of fever and inflammation known as “shar-pei autoinflammatory disease.”
The problems aren’t universal but can be serious.
PETA had wanted the judge to order the AKC to stop using the “standards” for those breeds. The standards guide dog show judges and many breeders.
The AKC has said the standards — which fanciers develop and the kennel club reviews and circulates — reflect “decades of collaboration with veterinary experts and breeders.” The kennel club says it has given over $40 million since 1995 to its canine health research charity.
Texas
Former FedEx driver pleads guilty to killing girl after making delivery at home
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A former FedEx driver accused of killing a 7-year-old girl after he said he accidentally struck her with his van while delivering a Christmas gift to her Texas home, and then strangled her during a fit of panic, pleaded guilty to capital murder just after his trial began Tuesday.
Tanner Horner faces either the death penalty or life in prison in the December 2022 killing of Athena Strand, whose body was found two days after she was reported missing in the rural town of Paradise, near Fort Worth.
Jurors, who will decide Horner’s punishment, began hearing testimony after the plea. As Athena’s stepmother testified about the search for the girl, the jury was shown an image of Athena taken from a video inside the delivery truck. She was still alive and sitting on her knees behind the driver’s seat.
According to an arrest warrant, Horner told authorities that he strangled Athena after accidentally hitting her with his van while making a delivery. Horner told investigators that Athena wasn’t seriously hurt after he hit her while backing up, but he panicked and put her in his van.
Horner said he didn’t want her to tell her father what happened, so he first tried to break the girl’s neck and when that didn’t work, he strangled her with his hands in the back of the van, the warrant said. The warrant said Horner took investigators to where he’d left Athena’s body.
