Tuesday, October 4th 2016
The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from John Deere and other farm equipment manufacturers seeking to overturn a New Hampshire law they say unfairly treats their products like cars and trucks. The justices on Monday let stand a New Hampshire Supreme Court ruling that upheld the state's Automobile Dealer Bill of Rights law. It was expanded in 2013 to include protections for farm equipment distributors in addition to auto and truck dealers. The law bars manufacturers from terminating dealer contracts without just cause. Farm equipment makers claim the law unconstitutionally interferes with their contracts. The state says the law simply merges regulations that dealt separately with auto makers and farm and tractor manufacturers. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan said the law leveled the playing field between manufacturers and dealers.