The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against an Orange County-based towing company alleging it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally auctioning over several years nearly 150 motor vehicles owned by members of the military.
According to the lawsuit, from August 2020 to April 2025, San Clemente-based S&K Towing Inc. illegally sold or disposed of as many as 148 vehicles owned by servicemembers, many of which were towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Even though S&K’s contract with Camp Pendleton required it to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, the company made no effort to comply with the SCRA, which requires tow companies to obtain a court order before selling or disposing of a vehicle owned by an SCRA-protected servicemember.