Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why did I get a Notice?

    A federal court authorized the Notice because you had the right to know about the Settlement of this class action lawsuit and about all of your rights and options before the Court decided whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. The Notice and this website explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your legal rights, what benefits are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them.

    The Honorable District Judge James V. Selna of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division is overseeing this class action. The case is known as Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., Case No. 2:18-cv-08605-JVS-SS (the “Action”). The people who filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” and the company they sued, Sirius XM Radio Inc., is called the “Defendant.”

    To view a copy of the Notice, click here.

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  2. What is this lawsuit about?

    The Plaintiffs claim that Sirius XM misrepresented the Lifetime Subscriptions that it marketed and sold by leading customers to believe that such subscriptions were for the lifetime of the customer. And, the Plaintiffs claim, Sirius XM’s refusal to honor the Lifetime Subscriptions breached Sirius XM’s agreement with its customers. Sirius XM asserts that its Lifetime Subscriptions were limited to the life of the satellite radio originally used for the subscription (as opposed to the life of the subscriber) and that its Lifetime Subscriptions were subject to a limited number of radio transfers between satellite radios, and subject to a $75 transfer fee for each such transfer. Sirius XM therefore denies any wrongdoing and denies all other claims made in the Action. No court or other entity has made any judgment or other determination of any wrongdoing or that the Sirius XM violated the law. By entering into the Settlement, Sirius XM is not admitting that it did anything wrong.

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  3. Why is this a class action?

    In a class action, one or more people called the class representatives sue on behalf of all people who have similar claims. Together all of these people are called a Class or Class Members. One court resolves the issues for all Class Members, except for those Class Members who exclude themselves from the Class.

    The class representatives in this case are the Plaintiffs: Philip Alvarez, Randall Bettison, Marc Kelleher, and Darlene Vaugh.

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  4. Why is there a settlement?

    The Plaintiffs and Sirius XM do not agree about the claims made in this Action. The Action has not gone to trial and the Court has not decided in favor of the Plaintiffs or Sirius XM. Instead, the Plaintiffs and Sirius XM have agreed to settle the Action. The Plaintiffs and the attorneys for the Class (“Class Counsel”) believe the Settlement is best for all Class Members because of the risks and uncertainty associated with continued litigation and the nature of the defenses raised by Sirius XM.

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  5. How do I know if I am part of the Settlement?

    You are a Class Member, and you are affected by this Settlement, if you purchased a subscription from Sirius XM that was marketed and sold to you as a “Lifetime Plan” or “Lifetime Subscription” (together, “Lifetime Subscriptions”).

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  6. Are there exceptions to being included in the Settlement?

    Yes, the Settlement does not include: Sirius XM, its subsidiaries, parent companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which Sirius XM or its parent has a controlling interest, and their current or former officers, directors, legal representatives, employees, and assigns; the Judge presiding over the Action, and members of his family; and any individual who timely and validly requests to be excluded from the Settlement Class.

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  7. What if I am still not sure whether I am part of the Settlement?

    If you are still not sure whether you are a Class Member, you may use the account verification tool here, or contact the Settlement Administrator via email at info@LifetimeSiriusXMSettlement.com, or by calling 1-855-917-3525 (Toll-Free).

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  8. What does the Settlement provide?

    The Settlement will provide Class Members with the following benefits:

    1. Unlimited transfers of Active Lifetime Subscriptions from one satellite radio to another satellite radio.
    2. A transfer fee of $35 per transfer.
    3. Reactivation of Inactive Lifetime Subscriptions on a satellite radio that is not currently receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service or a $100 cash payment for Class Members who hold Inactive Lifetime Subscriptions and who do not elect to reactivate their Lifetime Subscriptions. In the event Class Members with Inactive Lifetime Subscriptions choose to reactivate their account, they would thereafter be entitled to transfer their reactivated Lifetime Subscriptions to another radio capable of receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service for an unlimited number of times provided that they pay a transfer fee to Sirius XM of $35 per transfer. A Person who chooses to reactivate an Inactive Lifetime Subscription may elect to cancel another Sirius XM paid subscription on his or her account and receive a pro rata refund of any amounts paid for future service unless such paid subscription purchase included bundled equipment.
    4. In addition to the benefits described above, Sirius XM will also make available Internet streaming access to Inactive Lifetime Subscribers who choose to reactivate their subscriptions for no additional fee to Sirius XM. Internet streaming access is already available to Active Lifetime Subscribers.
    5. The unlimited transfers described above must be done through the Sirius XM website at the following URL address: care.siriusxm.com. In the event this URL address is changed or amended, Sirius XM will first publish the new address in its Customer Agreement or provide the new address on the landing page of the Sirius XM website.
    6. Sirius XM has also agreed to pay (i) Settlement Administration Expenses, (ii) Court-approved Service Payments to the Named Plaintiffs, and (iii) Court-approved attorneys’ fee and expenses, all set forth in and limited by the maximum amounts set forth in the Settlement Agreement (where applicable). These amounts will be paid by Sirius XM and will not reduce any benefits to be paid to Class Members.
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  9. Is my Lifetime Subscription account active or inactive?

    The benefits you can obtain from the Settlement will depend on whether you hold an Active Lifetime Subscription or an Inactive Lifetime Subscription. You hold an “Active Lifetime Subscription” if your Lifetime Subscription is associated with a satellite radio that, according to Sirius XM’s records, was activated to receive Sirius XM’s satellite radio service and continues to be authorized to receive the Sirius XM satellite radio service (whether or not such satellite radio remains in use by you) as of June 5, 2020. You hold an “Inactive Lifetime Subscription” if your Lifetime Subscription is no longer associated with a satellite radio that, according to Sirius XM’s records, was activated to receive Sirius XM’s satellite radio service as of June 5, 2020.

    To determine whether your Lifetime Subscription is active or inactive as of June 5, 2020, please use the account verification tool here, or contact the Settlement Administrator via email at info@LifetimeSiriusXMSettlement.com, or by calling 1-855-917-3525 (Toll-Free).

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  10. What Settlement benefits I can receive if I hold an Active Lifetime Subscription?

    If you hold an Active Lifetime Subscription, according to Sirius XM’s records, you automatically qualify for the Settlement’s benefits, assuming the Settlement is approved by the Court, and you did not have to file a Claim Form.

    Now that the Settlement has been approved and became effective on March 12, 2021, you are entitled to transfer your Lifetime Subscription from one satellite radio to another radio capable of receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service an unlimited number of times upon payment of a per-transfer fee of $35. You will need to request each transfer online at the following URL: care.siriusxm.com.

    If you had an Active Lifetime Subscription as of June 5, 2020, and it became inactive prior to the Effective Date (March 12, 2021), you are entitled to the same benefits that are available to Settlement Class Members with Active Lifetime Subscriptions. To reactivate your Lifetime Subscription, you must visit care.siriusxm.com after the Effective Date to reactivate your account and follow the instructions there. You will need to pay a $35 reactivation fee.

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  11. What Settlement benefits can I receive if I hold an Inactive Lifetime Subscription?

    If you hold an Inactive Lifetime Subscription, according to Sirius XM’s records, you must have submitted a Claim so that it was received on or before the Claim Deadline of January 12, 2021, in order to receive benefits under the Settlement.

    If you hold an Inactive Lifetime Subscription, you must have selected either the Reactivation Option or the Cash Payment Option, but not both, by filing a Claim as explained above. Each of the options is explained below. You could not elect both options.

    Reactivation Option: If you wanted to reactivate your Lifetime Subscription and if you submitted a timely valid Claim so that it was received on or before January 12, 2021, to do so, your subscription was reactivated on or about April 12, 2021, on a satellite radio that was not then receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service. If you chose to reactivate your Inactive Lifetime Subscription, you may have elected to cancel another Sirius XM subscription on your account when reactivating your Lifetime Subscription and receive a pro rata refund of any amount paid for future service, unless such paid subscription purchase included bundled equipment.

    Thereafter, you will be entitled to transfer your Lifetime Subscription to another radio capable of receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service for an unlimited number of times provided that you pay a transfer fee of $35 for each such transfer. The Settlement became final on March 12, 2021, you will need to request each transfer online at the following URL: care.siriusxm.com, beginning thirty (30) days after the Effective Date (March 12, 2021).

    Cash Payment Option: If you did not submit a claim to reactivate your Inactive Lifetime Subscription so that it was received on or before January 12, 2021, you may have instead submitted a claim to receive a cash payment of $100 for each Inactive Lifetime Subscription that you hold. By doing so, you will forever cancel that subscription.

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  12. Tell me more about the Sirius XM’s Transfer webpage.

    As a result of the Action, Sirius XM has agreed to establish and maintain a Transfer webpage, care.siriusxm.com where Class Members will be able to request transfers of their Lifetime Subscriptions online. In the event this URL address is changed or amended, Sirius XM will first publish the new address in its Customer Agreement or provide the new address on the landing page of the Sirius XM website.

    For more information, please see the Settlement Agreement, available here.

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  13. What am I giving up to stay in the Class?

    If you did not submit a claim to reactivate your Inactive Lifetime Subscription so that it was received on or before January 12, 2021, you may have instead submitted a claim to receive a cash payment of $100 for each Inactive Lifetime Subscription that you hold. By doing so, you will forever cancel that subscription.

    The specific rights you are giving up are called Released Claims (see FAQ 14).

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  14. What are the Released Claims?

    If you are a Class Member, and you did not opt out of the Settlement, you are releasing Defendant (Sirius XM) from any liability regarding any and all claims associated with this case, as explained in the Settlement Agreement. You have given up your right to be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendant (Sirius XM) regarding the claims resolved by this Settlement and released by the Settlement Agreement. The specific claims you will release are provided in paragraphs 83-89 of the Settlement Agreement.

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  15. How could I have made a claim for Settlement benefits?

    If, as of June 5, 2020, you held a Lifetime Subscription that is active (i.e. Active Lifetime Subscription), you will not have to do anything to receive the benefits provided by the Settlement assuming the Settlement is approved by the Court.

    If, as of June 5, 2020, you held a Lifetime Subscription that is not active (i.e. Inactive Lifetime Subscription), you must have submitted a Claim so that it was received on or before the January 12, 2021.

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  16. What happens if my contact information changes after I submit a claim?

    If you change your mailing address or email address after you submit a Claim Form, it is your responsibility to inform the Settlement Administrator of your updated information. You may notify the Settlement Administrator at:

    Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
    1-855-917-3525
    info@LifetimeSiriusXMSettlement.com

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  17. When and how will I receive the benefits I claim from the Settlement?

    If you are an Active Lifetime Subscriber, you will be able as of thirty (30) days of the Effective Date of March 12, 2021, to transfer Lifetime Subscriptions, an unlimited number of times, to another radio capable of receiving Sirius XM’s satellite radio service by (1) paying a $35 transfer fee for each transfer, and (2) requesting the transfer online on the Transfer webpage as described in FAQ 12.

    If you are an Inactive Lifetime Subscriber and submitted a timely valid Claim to reactivate your Inactive Lifetime Subscription so that it was received on or before January 12, 2021 (see FAQ 11). If the Radio ID is valid, Sirius XM will reactivate your Lifetime Subscription within thirty (30) days after the Effective Date of March 12, 2021.

    If you are an Inactive Lifetime Subscriber and have submitted a timely valid Claim seeking the cash payment option so that it was received on or before January 12, 2021, your check for $100 will be sent to you at the address we have on record by the Settlement Administrator via First-Class Mail within sixty (60) days after the Effective Date of March 12, 2021.

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  18. Do I have a lawyer in this case?

    Yes, the Court has appointed Robert Ahdoot and Tina Wolfson of Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC, Keith S. Dubanevich of Stoll Stoll Berne Lokting & Shlachter, PC, and Cornelius P. Dukelow of Abington Cole & Ellery as Class Counsel to represent you and the Class for the purposes of this Settlement. You may hire your own lawyer at your own cost and expense if you want someone other than Class Counsel to represent you in this Action.

    If you have questions you may contact Class Counsel at:

    Robert Ahdoot
    Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
    Stoll Stoll Berne
    Lokting & Sclachter, PC
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
    Abington Cole & Ellery
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
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  19. How will Class Counsel be paid?

    Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, Class Counsel filed an approved motion asking the Court to award them attorneys’ fees and expenses of up to $3,500,000. Additionally they asked the Court to approve up to $5,000 Service Payments to each of the Named Plaintiffs and for a fifth Class Member for participating in this Action and an earlier action and for their efforts in achieving the Settlement. Now awarded, these amounts will be paid by Sirius XM and will not reduce any benefits to be paid to Class Members.

    Class Counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, and application for Service Payments can be found here.

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  20. How could I have gotten out of the Settlement?

    If you are a Class Member and want to keep any right you may have to sue or continue to sue Sirius XM on your own based on the claims raised in this Action or released by the Released Claims, then you must have taken steps to get out of the Settlement. This is called excluding yourself from–or “opting out” of–the Settlement.

    To have excluded yourself from the Settlement, you must have mailed a request to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class such that it was received by the Settlement Administrator no later than November 30, 2020.

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  21. If I excluded myself, can I still get any of the Settlement benefits?

    No. If you excluded yourself, you told the Court that you did not want to be part of the Settlement. You can only receive any of the Settlement benefits described in this website if you stayed in the Settlement.

    The Exclusion deadline passed on November 30, 2020.

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  22. If I did not exclude myself, can I sue Sirius XM for the same thing later?

    No. Unless you excluded yourself, you give up any right to sue Sirius XM or any of the Released Parties for the claims made in this case and released by the Settlement. You must have excluded yourself from this Action to start or continue with your own lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit against Sirius XM or any of the Released Parties. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that case immediately.

    The Exclusion deadline passed on November 30, 2020.

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  23. How could I have told the Court that I do not like the Settlement?

    If you are a Class Member, you can no longer tell the Court that you do not agree with all or any part of the Settlement.

    You must have mailed or hand-delivered your written objection to the Settlement to Class Counsel and Counsel for Sirius XM, and filed, mailed, or hand-delivered your objection simultaneously to the Court, on or before November 30, 2020.

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  24. What is the difference between objecting and requesting exclusion?

    Objecting is simply telling the Court you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Class (that is, do not exclude yourself). Requesting exclusion is telling the Court you do not want to be part of the Class or the Settlement. If you exclude yourself, you cannot object to the Settlement because it no longer affects you.

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  25. When and where did the Court decide to approve the Settlement?

    The Court held a Final Approval Hearing via video conference on February 8, 2021, before the Honorable District Judge James V. Selna of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. At this hearing, the Court considered whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and decided to approve the Settlement; Class Counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses; and the service payments to the Named Plaintiffs. If there were objections, the Court considered them. The Court also listened to people who had asked to speak at the hearing.

    On February 9, 2021, the Court granted final approval to the Settlement. You can review the signed Final Approval Order here.

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  26. What happens if I did nothing at all?

    If you hold an Active Lifetime Subscription, and you did nothing, you will remain in the Settlement and will be entitled to receive Settlement benefits. However, you have given up your rights to be part of any other lawsuit or legal proceeding against the Sirius XM or Released Parties about the claims made in this case and released by the Settlement.

    If you hold an Inactive Lifetime Subscription, and you did nothing, you will not receive any of the Settlement benefits and you have given up your rights to sue Sirius XM and certain related parties for the claims made in this case and released by the Settlement.

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  27. How do I get more information?

    This website and the Notice summarize the proposed Settlement. Complete details are provided in the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement and other related documents are available here, by calling 1-855-917-3525 (Toll-Free), or by writing to Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., P.O. Box 4079, Portland, OR 97208-4079. In the event of any conflict between this website and the Settlement Agreement, the Settlement Agreement shall be binding. Publicly filed documents can also be obtained by visiting the office of the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Central District of California or by reviewing the Court’s online docket.

    If you have additional questions you may contact Class Counsel at:

    Robert Ahdoot
    Ahdoot & Wolfson, PC
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
    Keith Dubanevich
    Stoll Stoll Berne
    Lokting & Sclachter, PC
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079
    Cornelius Dukelow
    Abington Cole & Ellery
    c/o Lifetime Sirius XM Settlement
    P.O. Box 4079
    Portland, OR 97208-4079

    PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT REGARDING THIS WEBSITE OR SETTLEMENT. THE COURT CANNOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

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