SEATTLE — Since 2010 a Bellevue company has foreclosed on at least 28 homes owned by military service members without obtaining required court orders, the U.S. Justice Department said.
A lawsuit was filed Thursday against Northwest Trustee Services, Inc., in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The lawsuit claims the company violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which protects the rights of service members who are on active duty by suspending or modifying certain civil obligations. The law prohibits foreclosing on the home of a service member during active military service and one year afterward without a court order if the mortgage originated prior to the servicemember’s period of active military service.
The Justice Department launched an investigation into Northwest’s practices after U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jacob McGreevey of Vancouver submitted a complaint. McGreevey’s home was foreclosed on in 2010, less than two months following his release from active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Justice Department.