JWB Property Management (Jacksonville) SCRA Settlement: $39,168.50

What happened

JWB Property Management LLC, which does business as JWB Rental Homes, resolved the matter with the United States in a settlement agreement, without a lawsuit. JWB's counsel signed the agreement on June 18, 2025 and the United States signed on June 19, 2025, the effective date, since the agreement takes effect on the last signature (agreement paragraph 5 and signature page). In exchange, the United States agreed not to pursue its Section 3955 early termination claims against JWB in a civil action (paragraph 6). JWB denies the allegations (paragraph 3). DOJ's release of June 23, 2025 describes JWB as a property management company based in Jacksonville, Florida.

The charge had its own label. The United States determined that between March 2022 and August 2023 JWB imposed "Liquidated Damages for Early Termination" on at least six servicemember-tenants who had exercised their right to end leases early under the SCRA, and that those liquidated damages were early termination charges barred by § 3955(e)(1) (paragraph 14). DOJ's case page adds that the six had received military relocation orders. The agreement does not state the amount of any single charge.

Two prohibitions go beyond the six charges. JWB may not enforce the 35-mile limitation in Florida Statutes § 83.682(1)(a) on a servicemember, or a servicemember's dependent, who ends a lease lawfully under § 3955, and may not refuse a commanding officer's notification because it was signed "by direction" or under a delegation of signature authority (paragraph 7(b) and (c)). Read on the Florida Legislature's site on October 10, 2026, § 83.682(1)(a) lets a servicemember on permanent change of station orders terminate when required to move 35 miles or more from the rental premises. The agreement does not allege that JWB applied that limit to any of the six.

The agreement also reaches evictions. Within 90 days JWB had to develop written § 3931 procedures for default judgments in eviction cases and other disputes with tenants over amounts owed: a Defense Manpower Data Center check by last name with Social Security number, or with date of birth when no number is on file, repeated for every maiden name, hyphenated surname or alias it knows of; a look through the tenant's own orders, rental application, employment information and leave and earnings statements if that check comes back negative; and an affidavit with the latest DMDC report executed within two business days of the default motion (paragraph 9).

The law behind this: 50 U.S.C. § 3955

Termination of residential or motor vehicle leases: read the statute , or read § 3955 in plain English, with its enforcement record .

Our military families already shoulder the burden of military-ordered moves and deployments,

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida is committed to protecting the rights of all our servicemembers,

Who was covered

The six servicemembers whose names and payment amounts the United States listed for JWB; the agreement says at least six were charged between March 2022 and August 2023 (agreement paragraphs 14 and 16). For the four-year term, JWB's policies must let a servicemember end a lease after orders calling them to military service, PCS orders, deployment orders of at least 90 days, or a qualifying stop movement order, and a servicemember's termination ends any obligation a dependent has under the lease (paragraph 8(a)).

What the settlement paid

• $39,168.50 in certified checks payable to the six identified servicemembers, due to counsel for the United States within seven days of the effective date (agreement paragraph 16).
• Each amount is the termination fee the servicemember paid, returned, together with an extra sum of twice the fee JWB charged (paragraph 15). Counsel for the United States releases a check only after receiving that servicemember's signed release, which gives up Section 3955 early termination claims against JWB and expressly no claims under any other SCRA section (paragraphs 17 and 18, Exhibit C).
• A $25,000 civil penalty to the Treasury, due within ten days of the effective date (paragraph 19).
• Lease termination policies within 30 days that set the termination date no later than 30 days past the first rent due date after notice, refund rent paid in advance within 30 days, bar seeking or enforcing any waiver of § 3955 rights, and put an SCRA notice with a designated phone number and e-mail address in each servicemember's lease packet (paragraph 8). Annual SCRA training for all employees, complaint reports every three months, and a term of four years from the effective date (paragraphs 12, 21 and 27).

Why this case matters

A new name did not change the analysis: the United States treated JWB's "Liquidated Damages for Early Termination" as the early termination charge § 3955(e)(1) forbids, which JWB denies (agreement paragraphs 3 and 14). The Florida term matters for anyone renting there, because the state's military termination statute carries a 35-mile test that the federal statute does not. If a Florida landlord says your new duty station is too close to qualify, § 3955 calls for written notice and a copy of qualifying orders, with no distance test, and this agreement bars JWB from invoking the state limit against a lawful federal termination.