More Than 20 Civil Federal Lawsuits Filed Against Major Hotel Chains in 2019

From Florida, to Ohio, to Massachusetts, human trafficking survivors and their trial lawyers are fighting back against the hotel chains – big and small – who knowingly benefit from sex trafficking in their establishments. According to the Human Trafficking Institute, more than 20 civil federal lawsuits filed against major hotel chains in 2019. Prior to 2019, the Human Trafficking Institute did not track any federal civil suits against hotels in 2017 or 2018.

While the lawsuits filed to date include smaller, low-end motel defendants, many of the civil lawsuits name high-end chains, such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels International, Best Western International, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation and Marriott Hotels as defendants.

Lawsuits aiming to hold those who benefit from trafficking accountable have been filed at both the federal and state court level around the country.

The complaints contain eerily similar facts which allege that hotel workers – who are mandated to receive training in some states, like Florida – saw trafficking victims on drugs, with very little clothing, and wandering around the hallways. The Plaintiffs say that the men who sexually exploited them were allowed in and out of rooms, and that housekeeping staff regularly cleaned rooms with sex and drug paraphernalia strewn about.

Grewal Law believes and supports survivors of all forms of exploitation and sexual abuse – including human trafficking. As a member of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force, we are trauma-informed attorneys with the knowledge, skills, and resources to work on these difficult cases. Just as our team successfully fought and won the $500 million from Michigan State University on behalf of survivors sexually abused by Larry Nassar, Grewal Law stands ready to fight for human trafficking survivors.