Frequently Asked Questions

The Court certified a Class consisting of:
 

All people or businesses who directly purchased a telescope from Celestron Acquisition LLC on or after April 1, 2005 through March 4, 2026, or from Meade Instruments, between September 1, 2013 and November 30, 2019.
 

Excluded from the Class by definition are:
 

(i) all Defendants; (ii) any subsidiaries and affiliates of Defendants; (iii) any person who is or was an officer or director of Defendants or any of Defendants’ subsidiaries of affiliates; (iv) Defendants’ directors’ and officers’ liability insurance carriers, and any affiliates or subsidiaries thereof; (v) Defendants’ employee retirement and benefit plan(s); (vi) the Court and its staff; and (vii) the legal representatives, heirs, successors and assigns of any such excluded person or entity.
 

Any Notice you may have received directing you to this website was sent because you may be a member of the Class (“Class Member”). If you are a Class Member, your rights will be affected by this Action. If you are uncertain whether you are a Class Member, contact Class Counsel listed in Question 7 below, or your own attorney.
 

This website and any Notice or other documents contained herein is not an expression of any opinion of the Court concerning the merits of the Action, or a finding by the Court that the claims asserted by the Class Representatives (as defined in Question 2 below) are valid. The Notice is intended solely to advise you of the pendency of the Action and of your rights in connection with it. There is no judgment, settlement, or monetary recovery at this time. 
 

In this lawsuit, the Class Representatives, on behalf of the Class, assert that Defendants, two telescope manufacturers, and their wholly owned U.S. distributor Celestron, their related businesses and the current and former CEOs of these entities and other executives within the organization, conspired to fix prices and engage in other illegal activities to raise the prices you paid for telescopes in violation of U.S. antitrust law. 
 

Defendants vigorously deny these allegations.
 

The Action was filed on June 1, 2020. On March 10, 2025, the Court certified the Class and appointed lead plaintiffs Aurora Astro Products, LLC and Pioneer Cycling & Fitness, LLP as “Class Representatives,” and lead counsel as “Class Counsel.”
 

You can find more information about the case and the materials filed by the parties throughout this website. A trial date in this Action has not been set. Once a date is set, this information will be available on this website. 

A class action is a type of lawsuit in which one or several individuals or entities prosecute claims on behalf of all members of a group of similarly situated persons and entities (i.e., the class) to obtain monetary or other relief for the benefit of the entire group. Class actions avoid the necessity of each member of a class having to file his, her, or its own separate lawsuit to obtain relief. Class actions are used to decide legal and factual issues that are common to all members of a class.

If you directly purchased a telescope from Celestron from April 1, 2005 through March 4, 2026, or from Meade Instruments, between September 1, 2013 and November 30, 2019, and you are not excluded from the Class by definition (see Section I, above), you are a member of the Class.
 

If you are a member of the Class, you have the right to decide either to remain a member of the Class or to exclude yourself ("opt out") of the Class.
 

If you want to remain a member of the Class, you do not need to do anything. 


If you do nothing, and you are a member of the Class, you will stay in the Class.

If you choose to remain in the Class you will be bound by all past, present and future orders and judgments in the Action, whether favorable or unfavorable. If there is a judgment or a settlement in this Action, you will be bound by it, and you will not be able to separately sue Defendants regarding any of the legal claims in this case.  If any money is awarded to the Class, either through a settlement with Defendants or a judgment of the Court after a trial, you may be eligible to receive a share of that money.

As a member of the Class, you will be represented by Class Counsel. You will not be personally responsible for any of Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees or costs. Class Counsel have agreed to represent the Class on a contingent fee basis, which means that they will be awarded fees and costs by the Court only if they succeed in obtaining a recovery from one or more Defendants. Attorneys’ fees and costs for Class Counsel, if approved by the Court, would be paid from the settlement or judgment, if any, obtained on behalf of the Class.

Alternatively, you may also elect to be represented by counsel of your own choosing. If you do retain separate counsel, you will be responsible for your attorney’s fees and expenses and your attorney must enter an appearance on your behalf by filing a Notice of Appearance with the Court on or before May 4, 2026.

Members of the Class may be able to participate in any recovery that might be obtained in the Action. While this website and any Notice you may have received is not intended to suggest any likelihood that members of the Class will recover any money, should there be a recovery, Class Members will be required to submit a claim form demonstrating their membership in the Class and documenting their direct purchases of telescopes from Celestron and/or Meade, and their resulting damages. For this reason, please be sure to keep all records of your transactions. DO NOT mail them to Class Counsel or the Administrator at this time. 


No money or benefits are available now and there is no guarantee that money or benefits will be obtained. If they are, Class Members will be notified regarding how to obtain a share.
 

If you choose to be excluded from the Class, you will not be bound by any past, present, or future orders and judgments in this Action, nor will you be eligible to share in any recovery that might be obtained in this Action as a result of any judgment or settlement. You will retain any right you have to individually pursue claims, if any, that you may have against Defendants with respect to the claims asserted in the Action. 
 

To exclude yourself or someone you are authorized to represent from the Class, you must specifically request exclusion in accordance with the following procedures. You may complete the Exclusion Form located here, which you may submit electronically through the website. You may also submit your request for exclusion by writing a letter by first-class mail addressed to:

In re Telescopes Antitrust Litigation

c/o Kroll Settlement Administration

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391

Any letter seeking exclusion from the Class should state that you, or someone you represent “request(s) exclusion from the Class in In re Telescopes Antitrust Litigation, 5:20-cv-03642-EJD.” Your request must: (i) state the name, address and telephone number of the person or entity requesting exclusion, and, in the case of entities, the name and telephone number of the appropriate contact person; and (ii) be signed by the person or entity requesting exclusion or an authorized representative, accompanied by proof of authorization. You must complete your Exclusion Form or mail your letter requesting exclusion postmarked by no later than May 4, 2026.
 

You cannot exclude yourself from the Class by telephone or by e-mail, and a request for exclusion shall not be effective unless it contains the information above and is postmarked by the date stated above or is otherwise accepted by the Court.
 

If your request for exclusion complies with the requirements set forth above, the Court will exclude you from the Class, you will not be bound by any orders or judgments in this Action, and you will not be eligible to share in any recovery that might be obtained in this Action.
 

Do not request exclusion from the Class if you wish to participate in this Action as a member of the Class.

 

As a member of the Class, you will be represented by Class counsel who are:

 

If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. If you do retain your own lawyer, such counsel must enter an appearance on your behalf by filing a Notice of Appearance with the Clerk of the Court at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Courthouse, Courtroom 4 - 5th Floor 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113, on or before May 4, 2026. 

Your Notice of Appearance must also be mailed to Class Counsel:

As noted above, unless you elect to retain your own personal lawyer, if you remain in the Class, you will not have any direct obligations to pay the costs of the litigation. If there is a recovery by the Class, all costs and expenses of the Action, including Class Counsel’s attorneys’ fees and costs, will be paid from that recovery in an amount approved by the Court.

In order to make sure that you receive any further notices in this Action, you are requested to mail notice of any changes in your address to:

In re Telescopes Antitrust Litigation

c/o Kroll Settlement Administration

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391
 

If this Notice was forwarded to you by the postal service, or if it was otherwise sent to you at an address that is not current, you should immediately contact the Administrator by mail to the address above or by calling the Administrator toll free at (833) 754-7788 and provide them with your correct address. If the Administrator does not have your correct address, you may not receive any future notices.

This FAQ only provides a summary of the lawsuit and the claims asserted by Class Representatives. For more detailed information regarding the Action, including a copy of the Complaint, you may contact Class Counsel or view these materials here.

You may also call toll-free (833) 754-7788 or contact the Court-appointed Administrator by mail to:
 

In re Telescopes Antitrust Litigation

c/o Kroll Settlement Administration

P.O. Box 225391

New York, NY 10150-5391