A Navy sailor stationed on the USS Nimitz was awarded $60,000 following an unlawful eviction pursued by a Florida-based property management company, which violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). This federal law shields active-duty service members from eviction and other civil liabilities while serving, but the sailor faced wrongful legal action that disrupted his housing situation.

The company, Rental Marketing Solutions, LLC, filed an eviction case against the sailor for a property he no longer occupied and submitted a false affidavit claiming he was not on active duty. This misleading information led a Florida county court to issue an eviction judgment against the sailor while he served at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington. The eviction judgment eventually appeared on his background reports, causing multiple landlords to deny housing applications for him and his wife.

As a result of these denials, the sailor lived apart from his wife for several months, rotating among temporary lodging, including periods aboard the Navy ship while it was docked. His wife was forced to move back with her parents in a different state during this period. The Department of Justice emphasized that such violations of the SCRA are unacceptable and interfere with the rights and well-being of military families.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is designed to ease financial and legal burdens on service members by allowing postponements or suspensions of civil obligations such as evictions, debt payments, and lease terminations. This case highlights the challenges service members face when protections under the SCRA are ignored or misrepresented, resulting in serious personal and financial consequences.

Federal prosecutors reiterated their commitment to enforcing the SCRA rigorously and protecting service members who serve the nation. They stressed that no active-duty member should face housing loss or damage to their record due to false claims by landlords or property managers.

  • Rental Marketing Solutions improperly pursued eviction despite the sailor’s active duty status.
  • A false affidavit claimed the sailor was not in military service, leading to wrongful eviction.
  • The eviction judgment impacted the sailor’s credit and housing opportunities.
  • The sailor endured months of unstable housing and separation from his wife.
  • The DOJ continues to enforce the SCRA to safeguard service members’ rights.