A Virginia Beach, Va., towing company has been required by the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $90,000 to resolve allegations the company illegally sold vehicles belonging to U.S. military personnel.
Steve’s Towing Inc. allegedly violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) when it "failed to obtain court orders before auctioning off vehicles belonging to at least seven SCRA-protected servicemembers, including two vehicles belonging to a member of a Navy SEAL team who was deployed overseas," the DOJ reports in an April 7 news release.
“This case began with a member of a Navy SEAL team who returned home from an overseas deployment, only to find that a towing company had auctioned off two vehicles that he had parked at a military base," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the news release. "This resolution will compensate all of the service members whose vehicles were illegally taken from them while they were serving their country."
The complaint further claims that Steve's Towing violated the SCRA on a regular basis and lacked any policies, processes, or methods to ensure compliance, according to the release. A towing firm is required by the SCRA to determine if a vehicle in its care belongs to a service member. If so, the towing company is then required to acquire a court order before selling the vehicle.
A Navy legal support attorney informed the department that Steve’s Towing Inc. had sold two vehicles belonging to a deployed Navy SEAL without first getting court orders, which prompted the agency to open its inquiry. A distinctive Toyota Land Cruiser was among the fleet of vehicles.
“Service members often rely heavily on their personal vehicles to commute to work and care for their families,” U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia said in the release. “A service member’s loss of a vehicle, therefore, can affect the military’s readiness. EDVA is dedicated to holding accountable businesses who do not uphold the right of servicemembers under the SCRA.”
