Deere Tractor Repair Suit Update: Judge Rejects Company’s Challenge to FTC Authority

A June 10 news update from Bloomberg Law reported that a federal judge denied Deere & Co. its attempt to secure an early win in its lawsuit alleging the company has a tractor-repair monopoly. In the report by Benjamin Hernandez, Bloomberg Law notes that the judge addressed Deere’s constitutional challenge after Deere questioned government claims and states’ standing in the case. It further reports:

“Judge Iain D. Johnston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois turned aside Deere’s argument Monday that the government’s claims were factually and legally insufficient regarding the company’s power in the ‘aftermarket’ for tractors. The judge also rejected Deere’s challenges to the FTC’s constitutional structure, including arguments related to the Supreme Court’s 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, as well as the states’ standing and timeliness in bringing the case.” The case is FTC v. Deere & Co., Bankr. N.D. Ill., 25-cv-50017, 6/9/25

The Federal Trade Commission, in January 2025, along with Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, sued Deere in a Chicago federal court, alleging the company holds monopoly power over fully functional repairs on its equipment. The same judge rejected Deere’s argument, holding that even if the removal restrictions are unconstitutional, the commissioners’ actions aren’t invalid.