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If you serve in the military: towed-car sales in El Paso
El Paso is home to Fort Bliss. The Justice Department alleged that cars belonging to servicemembers were auctioned from the City's storage facility without the court orders federal law requires.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
The federal rule
Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a storage lien on a servicemember's car cannot be enforced by sale during military service or within 90 days after it without a court order.
Sources: Settlement agreement with Rod Robertson Enterprises (PDF)
The El Paso case
An Army soldier's complaint about a car sold from the impound lot in 2020 led to a federal investigation. The Justice Department sued in 2023, alleging at least 176 servicemembers' vehicles were auctioned without court orders. In 2025 the City agreed to adopt compliant policies, train key staff and pay a $20,000 penalty, and the two contractors agreed to pay a total of $197,935 into funds for affected servicemembers plus penalties. One contractor denied the allegations.
Sources: Justice Department case page; City of El Paso news release, Feb. 28, 2023
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