Attorney volunteered to assist Sailor with an SCRA matter with a landlord-tenant problem
Through the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, an attorney successfully assisted a young Navy servicemember with a landlord-tenant dispute that involved the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The Sailor received notice that he would be deployed on a ship for a year. Two months before his deployment, to terminate the lease, the Sailor provided written notice to his landlord, along with a letter from his Commanding Officer that stated his deployment dates. However, while deployed, the Sailor learned that his former landlord ignored his notice, and a debt collector was working to retrieve the alleged unpaid rent after the deployment of several thousand dollars. The ABA Military Pro Bono Project connected the Sailor with a volunteer attorney. Through communications with the landlord about the SCRA violation, the attorney promptly resolved the matter with the landlord, who withdrew the claim against the Sailor. In turn, the young Sailor was released from this legal concern and he could focus on his military mission.
We have had a number of cases like this in Rhode Island. Landlords retaliating.