The Department of Justice filed suit against Steve's Towing Inc. of Virginia Beach on April 15, 2022, alleging the company violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by failing to obtain court orders before auctioning vehicles belonging to at least seven SCRA-protected servicemembers, including two vehicles owned by a deployed Navy SEAL team member, according to the DOJ. Steve's Towing later settled for $90,000.
Operator takeaway
A $90,000 settlement for auctioning seven servicemembers' vehicles — the SCRA requires a court order before any disposition, and the cost of checking military status through the DOD database is zero.