Tow company to pay $160,000 for illegally auctioning Camp Pendleton service member vehicles
By Julie Sharp
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California (KCAL, KCBS) — A San Clemente-based towing company has agreed to a $160,000 settlement with the Justice Department for illegally auctioning vehicles that were towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and were owned by members of the military.
The lawsuit alleged that between August 2020 and April 2025, S&K Towing Inc illegally sold or disposed of nearly 150 vehicles, many of which were registered to Camp Pendleton addresses. In other cases, vehicles were auctioned even after they were told that the owner was in the military.
According to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), tow companies are required to obtain a court order before selling or disposing of a vehicle owned by an SCRA-protected servicemember.
“This settlement sends a strong message that all towing companies must recognize servicemembers’ rights and take the necessary steps to comply with the SCRA,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a news release.
In May 2024, a Military Legal Assistance attorney contacted S&K Towing and explained that the company was violating the SCRA. In response, a manager at S&K Towing told the attorney, “We do this all the time.”
S&K Towing will pay $160,000 to servicemembers who were affected by the illegal towing and auctioning of their vehicles.
The company is in the process of shutting down its operations, according to the DOJ, and has agreed to comply with SCRA policies and procedures should it reopen.
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