"The men and women who serve in our nation's military deserve peace of mind in knowing that their legal rights will be protected at home while they are away serving the United States. It is unacceptable and illegal for a business to sell or dispose of these vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect servicemembers."
"S&K Towing had access to a Department of Defense database to check if service members were protected by the law yet had no policy or practice of searching the database to make sure the vehicles it was selling didn't belong to people that law protected."
"In some cases, S&K Towing sold vehicles that still had military equipment, uniforms and awards inside, according to the complaint, or after they'd been informed that the owner was deployed overseas."
"The company continued to sell military members' vehicles even after a Camp Pendleton attorney told them in 2024 they couldn't sell the vehicles without a court order, the Department of Justice claims."
S&K Towing, contracted by the Marine Corps Police Department, sold or disposed of 148 vehicles belonging to military members without following legal protections. The company had access to a Department of Defense database but failed to check if the vehicles belonged to protected service members. Some vehicles contained military equipment and personal items. Despite being informed by a Camp Pendleton attorney in 2024 about the legal requirements, S&K Towing continued to sell these vehicles without obtaining necessary court orders.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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