In the wake of a $40 million judgment in July against an Atlanta-area motel for ignoring signs that a minor was being trafficked on its premises, a similar lawsuit has now been filed on behalf of another victim against chains ranging from the Ritz-Carlton to Motel 6. The suit argues that staff ignored obvious signs of trafficking such as men loitering outside a room, loud noise and yelling from inside rooms, verbal abuse, and the victim appearing “drug and/or alcohol impaired, sleep deprived, hygiene impaired, with visible bruising, malnourished, and in sexually explicit clothing.”
Punitive damages to hotels chains are not an effective approach in addressing the human trafficking problem and could lead to security camaras violating guest privacy to shield the hotel from liability. Training hotel staff to be able to spot signs of trafficking and know when or if they should intervene would be a better approach. Suing hotel chains will result in potential violation of privacy for guests and all of us paying higher rates for lodging.
