San Diego Storage Company Agrees to Pay $170,000 to Settle Justice Department Allegations

[nitpicker]

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/san-diego-storage-company-agrees-pay-170000-settle-justice-department-allegations-it

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 18, 2015

San Diego Storage Company Agrees to Pay $170,000 to Settle Justice Department Allegations That it Unlawfully Sold Navy Service Members' Belongings

Across Town Movers, a San Diego-based storage company, and its owner, Daniel E. Homan, have agreed to pay nearly $170,000 to resolve allegations by the Department of Justice that it unlawfully sold U.S. Navy service members’ stored goods.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in March by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Office for the Southern District of California. The lawsuit alleged that Across Town Movers had a practice of selling active-duty service members’ storage lots without obtaining necessary court orders.
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Among the aggrieved service members is Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas E. Ward, now retired, who will receive $150,000 as compensation for his auctioned personal property. A long-time car enthusiast and 30-year veteran, Master Chief Ward placed his valuable car parts and many household items into storage when he was deployed overseas. He entrusted Across Town Movers to keep his personal property safe until he returned to his home in San Diego. Just before completing his final tour, Master Chief Ward learned that Across Town Movers had auctioned all of his stored personal property, including rare, vintage car parts, without providing any notice or obtaining a court order. Moreover, Across Town Movers allegedly continued to collect payment of storage fees from the government after it sold Master Chief Ward’s goods.
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Across Town Movers must also compensate other aggrieved service members for unlawfully auctioning their goods.
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Service members and their dependents who believe that their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program office. Office locations may be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php. Additional information on the Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting service members is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
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