John Deere Cannot Shake Claims in Repair Service Antitrust MDL, Judge Rules

CHICAGO — John Deere must face claims in a multidistrict litigation accusing it of limiting competition for expensive tractor repairs by withholding necessary software tools and resources from independent repair shops, an Illinois federal judge ruled after finding that the plaintiffs have Article III and antitrust standing.

In a Nov. 27 order, Judge Iain D. Johnson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois further ruled that the plaintiffs have plausibly pled their claims for violation of the Sherman Act, monopolization and conspiracy.

Plaintiffs, a group of agricultural crop farms and farmers, accuse Deere & Co. of …