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Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)

Kruger et al. v. Lely North America, filed February 2020, alleged that the Astronaut A4 robotic milking system did not deliver the promised milk production or lowest cost of ownership and had defects that adversely affected cow health, milk production, and quality. The US District Court for the District of Minnesota granted final approval of a settlement valued at about $122 million on Sept 1 2023; 400-plus class members could trade an A4 for a newer A5 or take roughly $30,000 to $40,000 cash per robot.

Occurred 2023-09-01 · Lely

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Track Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)

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Sources (2)

  1. Top Class Actions · https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/lely-a4-milking-system-defect-49-75m-class-action-lawsuit-settlement/
  2. Brownfield Ag News · https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/lely-settles-for-nearly-122-million-in-robotic-case/

Common questions

What happened in Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)?
Kruger et al. v. Lely North America, filed February 2020, alleged that the Astronaut A4 robotic milking system did not deliver the promised milk production or lowest cost of ownership and had defects that adversely affected cow health, milk production, and quality. The US District Court for the District of Minnesota granted final approval of a settlement valued at about $122 million on Sept 1 2023; 400-plus class members could trade an A4 for a newer A5 or take roughly $30,000 to $40,000 cash per robot.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on September 1, 2023 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)?
The incident is recorded as involving Lely on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023)?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-14

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-14

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Lely settles A4 robotic-milker class action for about $122M over alleged defects affecting cow health and milk output (2023).

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Canonical ID f01582a6-c286-4653-a6a7-2131a2dd738b