Sailor wins $7,500 settlement after his car was towed and auctioned off while deployed [View all]

A sailor will get $7,500 after his 2011 Mazda was towed and auctioned off in 2022 while he was overseas.

The Department of Justice announced that Navy Lt. Jonathan Liongson would receive the money as part of a settlement with Tony’s Auto Center, based in Chula Vista, California over violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or SCRA.

Liongson was stationed at Naval Base San Diego when he parked his 2011 Mazda 6 at a friend’s house before heading off on a deployment with the USS Bunker Hill in November 2022. While he was abroad, Tony’s Auto Center towed the car, and sold it at an auction two months later.

According to the federal complaint, on Dec. 6, 2022, the Chula Vista Police Department impounded Liongson’s car because of an expired registration and had Tony’s Auto tow it to their facility. Tony’s Auto obtained Liongson’s registration and information about his loan through the Navy Federal Credit Union.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/sailor-car-towed-settlement/