Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-1_14-cv-00712/USCOURTS-almd-1_14-cv-00712-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 110
Nature of Suit: Insurance
Cause of Action: 28:2201 Declaratory Judgement (Insurance)

---

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, SOUTHERN DIVISION 

PROGRESSIVE DIRECT 

INSURANCE COMPANY, 

)

) 

)

 Plaintiff, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

 v. ) 1:14cv712-MHT 

) (WO) 

JUANITA MATHIS and 

CHRISTOPHER L. HENDERSON, 

)

) 

)

 Defendants. )

OPINION AND ORDER 

This lawsuit is now before the court on plaintiff 

Progressive Direct Insurance Company’s motion for 

default judgment against defendant Juanita Mathis. 

Because the motion does not comply with the 

requirements of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 

(“SCRA”), 50 App. U.S.C. § 521, the court will deny the 

motion, albeit with leave to renew. 

 Section 521 of the SCRA provides: 

"In any action or proceeding covered by this 

section, the court, before entering judgment 

for the plaintiff, shall require the plaintiff 

to file with the court an affidavit-- 

Case 1:14-cv-00712-MHT-SRW Document 13 Filed 11/06/14 Page 1 of 3
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(A) stating whether or not the defendant is in 

military service and showing necessary facts to 

support the affidavit; or 

(B) if the plaintiff is unable to determine 

whether or not the defendant is in military 

service, stating that the plaintiff is unable 

to determine whether or not the defendant is in 

military service." 

50 App. U.S.C. § 521 (b)(1). 

 An affidavit, in the sense of a notarized 

statement, is not strictly necessary under the terms of 

the SCRA. See Black’s Law Dictionary, 8th ed. (an 

affidavit is “[a] voluntary declaration of facts 

written down and sworn to by the declarant before an 

officer authorized to administer oaths, such as a 

notary public”). A litigant may satisfy the affidavit 

requirement by filing "a statement, declaration, 

verification, or certificate, in writing, subscribed 

and certified or declared to be true under penalty of 

perjury." 50 App. U.S.C. § 521 (b)(4). 

 Progressive Direct has failed to meet the SCRA’s 

requirements in two respects. First, while Progressive 

Direct avers that, "[u]pon information and belief," 

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Mathis is not a member of the United States military, 

the insurance company has not made any "showing [of] 

necessary facts to support" this claim. Second, the 

insurance company has not provided an affidavit or a 

"statement, declaration, verification, or certificate 

... subscribed and certified or declared to be true 

under penalty of perjury." Instead, the insurance 

company merely states in its unverified motion that it 

does not believe Mathis to be a member of the armed 

forces. And while the insurance company submitted an 

affidavit in support of the motion, it does not touch 

on the military service issue. 

*** 

Accordingly, it is ORDERED that plaintiff 

Progressive Direct Insurance Company’s motion for 

default judgment (doc. no. 9) is denied with leave to 

renew. 

 DONE, this the 6th day of November, 2014. 

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

Case 1:14-cv-00712-MHT-SRW Document 13 Filed 11/06/14 Page 3 of 3