The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), formerly known as the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act (SSCRA), was enacted in 2003 and significantly expanded the protections provided to people entering the military, called to active duty and deployed service members. Many of the provisions in the SCRA can be applied to protect the rights of service members who are going through a divorce. At Stange Law Firm, PC, we represent service members and the spouses of service members in all aspects of family law. From divorce and custody matters to spousal support and property division, we have the experience and the skill to secure the most favorable possible outcome in your case. Stange Law Firm takes cases from those in the military, including Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois, and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

The SCRA and Your Divorce Matter

Among the key protections the SCRA provides to service members going through a divorce are the following:

Vacation or setting aside default judgments: In the context of a family law matter, if a default judgment was entered against you and the outcome negatively affected you because you were not present to defend yourself in the action, the court has the authority to reopen the matter.

Stay of legal proceedings: If you are deployed and cannot be present for the proceedings to defend yourself, they can be postponed, or stayed, until you return. This can be especially important when issues like custody need to be resolved.

Kirk Stange authored a chapter in a book on military divorce through Aspatore Publishing called Strategies for Military Family Law: Leading Lawyers on Navigating Family Law in the Armed Forces. View portions of the chapter by clicking the link above.