The US Government has sued a towing company in the San Diego area after it not only towed a sailor’s car while he was deployed but then sold it at auction. Prosecutors claim that action violated federal law, more specifically the Service Members Civil Relief Act.
A towing company owner who was under government investigation was gunned down.
It’s the US Attorney General’s Office that filed suit and plans to follow through, potentially making the towing company an example for others. What they take umbrige with is that the towing company sold off the vehicle belonging to an active member of the US Military without a court order.
That law exists to protect service members as they’re deployed in service to the country. Many times they’re where they can’t be reached, so anyone taking legal action against them has to go through additional processes to account for that. Apparently, the towing company didn’t even bother to check if the owner of the vehicle is part of the military. That was a big mistake.
The sailor was in fact out of the country, on a ship in the middle of the ocean for four months. Allegedly, the registration on his 2011 Mazda 6 had expired and since it was parked on a public road in front of his friend’s house, a tow truck just took it.
There was nothing the owner could do about the situation until he was back in the US and done with his deployment.
Ultimately, the old Mazda 6 owned by the sailor was sold for a mere $1,200 at auction. That’s a pathetic amount, but the towing company said it accumulated $6,000 in storage fees after sitting impounded for two months. If you’ve ever dealt with an impound situation you know how ridiculous that can be.
Considering how ruthless certain tow companies can be, we’re hoping this makes them all take a step back and reconsider how they do business.
Image via CBS 8 San Diego/YouTube
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