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Case

United States v. New Jersey Higher Ed. (D. N.J.)

Overview

On October 21, 2021, the court entered a consent decree in United States v. New Jersey Higher Ed. (D. N.J.).  The complaint, which was filed on September 20, 2021, alleges that the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”) when it obtained improper student loan default judgments against two active duty servicemembers by filing affidavits with the court stating that the servicemembers were not in military service when they were, in fact, in military service.  The consent decree requires the state agency to pay $15,000 in damages to the each of the two servicemembers and a $20,000 civil penalty (total of $50,000), in addition to adopting various policy changes to prevent future SCRA violations.

Press Release (09/20/2021)

Case Open Date
Case Name
United States v. New Jersey Higher Ed. (D. N.J.)
Topics
Servicemembers Initiative
Civil Rights
Tags
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; SCRA; HESAA; services members; military service; deployed; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; Burlington; Ocean Counties; Coast Guard; Petty Officer; Cutter Hammerhead; Cape May
Industry Code(s)
  • None
Components
Civil Rights Division
Civil Rights - Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
Case Documents
Complaint - United States v. New Jersey Higher Ed. (D. N.J.)   [PDF, ]
Consent Order - United States v. New Jersey Higher Ed. (D. N.J.)   [PDF, ]
Updated January 18, 2023