ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A former John Deere employee has filed a lawsuit against his former employers in the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Court in Rock Island, according to online court records.
On Dec. 27, former employee Daniel J. White filed the suit. White was employed as general manager, small agriculture & turf electrification, with his main assignment being to develop a new autonomous, battery-powered tractor.
White had been employed by Deere since February 2022. During the week of June 20, White took a trip to Kreisel Electric Inc. in Austria, which is majority-owned by Deere. The company manufactures electric battery modules.
During this visit, White identified what he perceived to be safety issues or concerns with the batteries. White claims to have identified an issue with Kreisel's immersion cooling, specifically that the cells didn't have an electric insulation layer between them and the coolant, which could lead to safety issues if an individual uses a coolant other than the currently proprietary battery coolant, such as antifreeze or water.
White brought forth the issue concerning Kreisel's technology with Deere's superiors and colleagues, but White was given a directive from a superior declaring that he use Kreisel technology, despite any potential risks.
In September, White put forth a test plan proposal for the Kreisel battery. Shortly thereafter, White was informed that he was barred from performing tests on the batteries.
Court records say that by refusing White the ability to perform the tests, "Deere failed to follow common design practice and correct conditions of foreseeable misuse."
On Oct. 19, a Deere competitor experienced a catastrophic battery fire during an equipment show. Following this incident, White says he made efforts to meet with multiple superiors in order to fix the issue before the Kreisel batteries were handled by Deere workers. On Oct. 26, White once again proposed a Kreisel battery test plan.
A few days later on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1, Deere terminated White.
According to court records, between June and October, White met with numerous Deere colleagues to deal with the Kreisel battery issue, but almost every effort was met with the dismissal of White's claims, and insistence that he move forward with utilizing Kreisel technology.
White claims that his termination was in violation of Illinois law and official public policy of the State of Illinois, specifically OSHA General Duty Clause, 29, which states, "Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees' employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees."
As a result of his termination, White claims to have sustained losses including, "loss of salary and fringe benefits, retirement benefits and employer contribution to health insurance, and Plaintiff also suffered physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety and other damages all in an amount in excess of $75,000."
On Feb. 3, Deere's lawyers filed a motion to remove the case from the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial District.
News 8 reached out to John Deere's public relations for comment, and a representative provided this statement:
"John Deere denies the allegations made by Daniel White and plans to vigorously defend the company against these meritless allegations.
In light of the pending litigation, we will not provide additional comment at this time."
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel