Federal Judge Grants Deere Access to Competitor Confidential Data

Multiple media outlets across the country reported on a significant development in the Deere & Co. antitrust right-to-repair lawsuit stemming from an Aug. 8 ruling by Judge Iain D. Johnston in the Deere & Co. Repair Services Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 3:25-cv-50017).

A federal court in Illinois is giving John Deere access to confidential business information from CNH Industrial, Kubota and AGCO, according to reports.

“This information was acquired by the Federal Trade Commission in its investigation into the right-to-repair lawsuit,” according to the Red River Farm Network. “The court said giving the FTC access to this confidential information, but not allowing Deere to have access, would put

John Deere at a ‘fundamental disadvantage’ in this litigation.”

A Farm Policy News report by Ryan Hanrahan out of the University of Illinois offered a summary of the Aug. 8 ruling, which included the following:

Progressive Farmer’s Todd Neeley reported that “John Deere will have access to confidential business information from several of its competitors after those companies fought in court to prevent the release as part of ongoing anti-trust, right-to-repair lawsuits.” Neeley’s overview included the following:

“The U.S. District Court for the District of Northern Illinois ruled on Aug. 8 that Deere has the right to access the documents acquired by the Federal Trade Commission as part of its investigation into allegations the company has illegally monopolized the farm equipment repair market by not allowing farmers to make specific repairs to their own tractors and other equipment,” Neeley reported. The report by Neeley further offered: “Deere will have access to what CNH Industrial, Kubota and AGCO have called the ‘crown jewels’ of sensitive business information including pricing data, financial reports and sales information,” Neeley reported. “In addition, once Deere has access to the information, then the 16 farmer plaintiffs in another ongoing lawsuit will have them as well, according to the court’s order.”