S&K Towing Inc., based in San Clemente, Calif., just north of Camp Pendleton, is being sued for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. (Zachary Dyer/U.S. Marine Corps)
A Southern California towing company sold 148 impounded vehicles, many owned by Marines and sailors, in violation of federal law protecting service members’ rights, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
S&K Towing Inc., based in San Clemente, Calif., just north of Camp Pendleton, is being sued for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), which mandates that towing operators obtain a court order before selling service members’ vehicles.
Though S&K Towing had a contract with Camp Pendleton to operate on the base and tow vehicles away, the agreement required that the company comply with federal laws governing the transfer of the vehicles, the Justice Department said in its statement.
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a business to sell or dispose of these vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect service members,” said Bill Essayli, the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California.
A man who answered the telephone at S&K Towing on Thursday morning said the company had no comment on the lawsuit.
According to the Justice Department, the sales occurred between August 2020 and April 2025. Prosecutors said some of the vehicles were registered to addresses on Camp Pendleton, and others were sold, despite S&K Towing being told the vehicles were owned by military service members covered by the relief act.
Prosecutors did not detail why the vehicles were removed by S&K Towing from the base in the first place.
Some of the vehicles were removed from the base even though their owners were deployed away from Camp Pendleton.
“Service members are often absent for extended periods due to training and deployments and may not know that their vehicle has been towed,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
The SCRA ensures service members have adequate legal protections, including notice and the opportunity to have towing and storage fees adjusted in light of their military service, officials said.
An attorney for Military Legal Assistance contacted S&K Towing in 2024 to explicitly tell them they were violating the SCRA. The attorney was told, “We do this all the time,” according to the Justice Department.
“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,” Essayli said.
This case is being prosecuted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The Justice Department said that since 2011, it had obtained over $484 million in monetary relief for more than 149,000 service members through its enforcement of the SCRA.
More information on SCRA enforcement efforts can be found at www.servicemembers.gov.
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. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
