Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined the FTC and four other states in suing the maker of John Deere equipment, accusing the company of illegally blocking independent repairs and driving up costs for farmers.
They say the company has restricted software that is key to repairing tractors and other equipment, which has burdened farmers with extra repair costs.
Richie Taylor with the AG’s office said those costs aren’t just unnecessary – they’re illegal.
“Attorney General Mayes believes that this is a clear violation of the Arizona Uniform State Antitrust Act – those are our state antitrust laws,” said Taylor. “And we believe that John Deere has unlawfully maintained and used its monopoly power to restrict the repairs.”
Taylor said while it’s too soon to know how long the case could take, Mayes is confident that it’ll succeed.
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Local farmers, businesses and homeowners in Yuma County have been raising concerns over the use of treated sewage as fertilizer on state-leased land. Now, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that the state has terminated its contract with the company responsible. -
The city of Tempe is considering an ordinance that would limit the use of automatic license plate readers. The proposal would also destroy all its existing ALPR data and penalize city staff for violations. -
Arizona law mandates that minimum wage must rise every year in accordance with consumer prices. The CPI rose 3.4% this year, which leads to a new minimum of $15.65 for non-tipped workers come Jan. 1. -
Arizona is now the first in the nation to issue a cosmetology license that allows beauty professionals to work across 13 participating states without having to take additional exams. -
The class consists of about 30 immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
