The Justice Department is suing a California towing company, claiming that it illegally auctioned off nearly 150 vehicles that had been towed from a Marine Corps base.
S&K Towing Inc. has been accused of illegally selling or disposing of as many as 148 vehicles owned by service members, many of which were towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in southern California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The lawsuit accuses the San Clemente-based company of ignoring the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which requires tow companies to obtain a court order before selling or disposing of a vehicle owned by a protected service member.
S&K Towing is accused of illegally processing the vehicles between August 2020 and April 2025.
“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,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Prosecutors argue in the lawsuit that some of the vehicles S&K sold or disposed of were registered to Camp Pendleton addresses.
In other instances, the vehicles were auctioned off even after S&K was told its owner was in the military, prosecutors claim.
The company was also reportedly approached about the issue. A Military Legal Assistance lawyer had approached the company and explained that the company was violating SCRA.
In response, a manager at S&K said, “We do this all the time,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a business to sell or dispose of these vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect servicemembers,” Essayli said.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon noted that “Servicemembers are often absent for extended periods due to training and deployments and may not know that their vehicle has been towed.”
“The SCRA plays an important role in providing these servicemembers with adequate legal protections,” Dhillon added.
Service members and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The Independent has contacted S&K Towing Inc. for comment.
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