Active Duty Military & Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA)

The Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA), an expansion of the former Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act, protects active duty military service members.  The act is intended to postpone or suspend certain civil obligations to enable service members to devote full attention to duty and to relieve stress on the family members of those service members.

The protection begins on the date of entering active duty and generally terminates within 30 to 90 days after the date of discharge from active duty.  SCRA applies to judicial proceedings (except criminal actions).  In the context of a divorce action, an active duty service member may postpone or delay the divorce action unless certain criteria are met such as an attorney is appointed to represent the service member.

BERESFORD BOOTH has made this content available to the general public for informational purposes only.  The information on this site is not intended to convey legal opinions or legal advice.