BAY CITY, Mich.–The Justice Department said it has reached a settlement with and levied a fine against COPOCO Community Credit Union here to resolve allegations that it illegally repossessed four servicemembers’ vehicles.
The DoJ filed a lawsuit in July of 2016 alleging that COPOCO violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing cars owned by protected servicemembers without first obtaining the required court orders. Under the agreement, COPOCO must change its policies and compensate four servicemembers whose cars COPOCO unlawfully repossessed, according to the Justice Department.
The department said it launched an investigation after it received a complaint in October 2015 from Alyssa Carriveau, the wife of U.S. Army Private First Class Christian Carriveau, alleging that COPOCO had repossessed their car, along with their two-year-old daughter’s car seat, out of their driveway in Lacey, Wash., near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Alyssa Carriveau initially believed that the car had been stolen, but she subsequently learned that it had been repossessed, according to a statement from the DoJ. Private First Class Carriveau was away at military training at the time and Alyssa Carriveau was not able to get to work without the vehicle, the DoJ added. The department said its subsequent investigation corroborated the Carriveaus’ complaint and revealed that COPOCO had no policies related to compliance with the SCRA. After filing the lawsuit, the United States learned of three additional repossessions COPOCO conducted that violated the SCRA, according to the DoJ.
“This sends a message to financial institutions, large and small, that they must live up to their obligations to our servicemembers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Thomas Wheeler in a statement. “They cannot use ignorance of the law as an excuse and must instead actively ensure that they comply with the law. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously protecting the rights of the men and women who bravely serve our country.”
According to the DoJ, the agreement requires COPOCO to provide $10,000 in compensation to each of the affected servicemembers, plus any lost equity in the vehicle with interest. The Carriveaus, who had their car returned to them the day after the repossession at the department’s request, will receive $7,500. COPOCO also must repair the credit of all affected servicemembers, pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States and determine, in the future, whether any vehicle it is planning to repossess is owned by an active duty servicemember. “If so, COPOCO will not repossess the vehicle without first obtaining a court order or valid waiver of SCRA rights,” the DoJ said. “The agreement also contains provisions ensuring that all eligible servicemembers will receive the benefit of the SCRA’s 6% interest rate cap on their auto loans.”
The Justice Department added the SCRA protects servicemembers against certain civil proceedings that could affect their legal rights while they are in military service. It requires a court to review and approve any repossession if the servicemember took out the loan and made a payment before entering military service. The court may delay the repossession or require the lender to refund prior payments before repossessing. The court may also appoint an attorney to represent the servicemember, require the lender to post a bond with the court and issue any other orders it deems necessary to protect the servicemember. By failing to obtain court orders before repossessing motor vehicles owned by protected servicemembers, COPOCO prevented servicemembers from obtaining a court’s review of whether their repossessions should be delayed or adjusted to account for their military service.