‘I felt like I had basically failed at life’

A foreclosure service in Bellevue is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice after the service allegedly illegally foreclosed on dozens of homes owned by members of the military.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects the rights of those on active duty. It ensures that the home of a service member can’t be foreclosed upon during active duty and for one year after, without a court order.

The DOJ filed the lawsuit on Thursday, saying the company didn’t obtain the required court orders to foreclose on at least 29 service members’ homes.

One of them, veteran Marine Staff Sergeant Jacob McGreevey, filed a complaint against Northwest Trustee Services last year. That’s after the company foreclosed on his home, without a court order, just two months after he was released from active duty.

He says having to worry about finances while on active duty is dangerous.

“You’re not watching what’s going on around you and to the men and women to your left and right and you’re not doing your full service of potential to protect yourself and the people you’re serving with,” McGreevey said.

He added that it’s frustrating that a company would do that to someone who has served their country.

“There are 28 other service members that happened to in the Northwest … to totally turn away from it and not care and to utilize it for profit at the expense of veterans…”

“I was coming home to not having my house, not having any income, and not having any possessions — basically — just having nothing. And I had just got back from Iraq. I felt like I had basically failed at life.”