California Attorney General joined the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of 12 attorneys general in securing a settlement with agricultural chemical company Corteva, Inc., resolving a lawsuit over the company’s loyalty rebate programs for crop‑protection chemicals, the attorney general’s office announced Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
Under the settlement, Corteva will cap purchase thresholds for covered active ingredients at 50% and limit its loyalty rebate programs for 10 years; the agreement includes reporting requirements to monitor Corteva’s compliance, the office said.
Corteva will pay $35 million to the plaintiff states, the attorney general’s office said; the settlement is separate from an ongoing private class action that seeks damages for California farmers.
The lawsuit, first filed in September 2022 according to the office, alleged that Corteva and Syngenta used rebate programs that required distributors to buy 90% or more of certain active ingredients from the defendants in exchange for large rebates; the office said those practices kept out lower-priced generics, maintained market shares and artificially inflated prices. California’s claims against Syngenta remain pending.
“California farmers and small businesses deserve a competitive marketplace where they have access to affordable products and are not forced to pay higher prices because competitors have been shut out,” Bonta said.
“This settlement puts meaningful limits on practices that we alleged prevented lower-cost generic pesticides from competing in the marketplace,” he said. “Especially amid a roaring crisis of affordability, my office will continue to protect Californians from anticompetitive practices that drive up costs.”
State
Rob Bonta
Attorney General · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Sources & methodology
This report was written from the primary materials below. Links open at the original publisher.
California Attorney GeneralSee something we should correct? Read our corrections policy.