The City of San Antonio allegedly auctioned off or otherwise got rid of two servicemembers vehicles while they were deployed, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
When the city got rid of the vehicles without a court order, they reportedly violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), according to the Department of Justice. The city will reportedly pay the servicemembers $47,000 in compensation to resolve the suit filed by the DOJ Thursday if it is approved by the court.
“Servicemembers who serve our country honorably should not have to come home to find that their only means of transportation and its contents have been auctioned off to the highest bidder,” Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said, according to the DOJ.
“We are pleased that the city has worked cooperatively with the department to reach a settlement that will compensate all the servicemembers who lost their vehicles and will provide additional protections for the thousands of servicemembers stationed in and around San Antonio,” Dreiband added, the DOJ reported.
Thanks for your service – we sold your car. The City of San Antonio auctioned off the vehicles of 227 military servicemembers while they were deployed – without getting court orders. https://t.co/BqMcTzuHbk
— Jeff Elder (@JeffElder) September 4, 2020
Included in the settlement, the city must create a $150,000 settlement fund to recoup other SCRA violations, according to the DOJ. The city will be required to pay a civil penalty of around $62,000 to the U.S. Treasury.
“I am proud that our office was able to reach a settlement with the City of San Antonio to protect servicemembers who are deployed overseas,” Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney John Bash said, according to the DOJ. “When servicemembers are fighting for our country, they should not have to worry that their vehicles will be gone when they return home.”
Air Force Staff Sergeant Paula Rangel filed a complaint against the city for towing and auctioning her vehicle while she was deployed in Afghanistan, according to the DOJ. (RELATED: US Veteran Says He Was Told He Could Not Wear American Flag Face Covering, Quits His Job)
Despite Rangel’s military attorney contacting the impound lot where her car was held and identifying her as an active-duty servicemember, the lot refused to release the vehicle, according to the DOJ. Rangel’s vehicle was auctioned for $6,600 on Sept. 21, 2016, by the city’s contractual agent UR Vehicle Management Solutions.
An investigation by the DOJ found that at least 227 vehicles registered to protected servicemembers were auctioned by the City of San Antonio between 2011 and 2019 without court orders, the DOJ announced.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.