MINNESOTA, USA — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued agricultural manufacturer John Deere Wednesday, alleging it has used unfair practices to drive up equipment repair costs for farmers.

Illinois AG Raoul files a lawsuit against Deere & Company over alleged restrictive repair practices for farm equipment.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Trade Commission, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the Illinois A-G are suing tractor manufacturer John Deere over its equipment repair policies. The lawsuit claims that the company has violated both state and federal laws by not providing customers with adequate options to repair their farm equipment.

Minnesota farmers who've long pushed for the right to independently repair their own agricultural equipment are celebrating a lawsuit filed against John Deere, in which the company is accused of instituting illegal repair policies that drive up costs for farmers.

John Deere, the agricultural equipment giant, is currently embroiled in a legal battle against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the states of Illinois and Minnesota. The company is accused of unfair practices that have increased repair costs for farmers and restricted their ability to perform timely repairs on vital machinery such as tractors.

Deere & Co. unfairly forces farmers to visit authorized dealers to repair their equipment, resulting in higher prices than if they could fix it themselves or get help from independent shops, the Federal Trade Commission claims in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday with the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing farm equipment maker John Deere, accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its dealers to repair equipment.