Steven Cohen  |  July 3, 2019

Category: Legal News

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motel 6 sign with wi-fiMotel 6 will pay former guests $10 million under a revised settlement agreement resolving claims that they shared the names of hotel guests with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

After an article was published in the Phoenix New Times in September 2017 exposing the actions by Motel 6, the plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against the hotel chain in January 2018.

The Motel 6 class action lawsuit argued that, “Motel 6’s policy and/or practice of disclosing guests’ personal information to ICE agents violates the United States Constitution, federal civil rights statutes and Arizona statutes.”

The unknown plaintiffs brought a class action lawsuit against Motel 6 in order to get a declaration that “Motel 6 violates federal and state law, and to obtain injunctive relief and damages.”

The Motel 6 class action complaint alleged that the employees who provided the guest list names to ICE were acting in accordance with policies created by their employer, Motel 6.

One plaintiff, Jane V, checked into a motel operated by Motel 6 to escape the heat as her apartment did not have any air conditioning. The next morning, “three ICE agents banged loudly on the door of the room where Plaintiff Jane V. and her children slept.” Jane V. was arrested by ICE without a warrant.

The parties agreed to a settlement in November 2018, but the judge did not approve of the terms.

The new proposed Motel 6 class action settlement notes that the motel chain will pay $10 million to, “1) Motel 6 Registered Guests whose Guest Information was shared with Federal Immigration Authorities; and 2) Motel 6 Guests who were not Registered Guests but who were questioned, interrogated, detained, and/or placed in immigration removal proceedings by Federal Immigration Authorities as a result of the disclosure of Guest Information to Federal Immigration Authorities.”

In addition, the new settlement agreement says that Motel 6 will not provide guest information to ICE without a warrant or subpoena signed off by a federal judge. The settlement agreement further states that the motel will create an online form for people to report any situation where guest information has been shared with ICE.

Also, under the proposed settlement agreement, Motel 6 will “provide training to all employees with the ability to make a guest list available regarding the Policy and resources available to them when guidance is needed.”

The Motel 6 class action settlement will also expand to include every Motel 6 property, including franchises. The first proposed settlement agreement only accounted for the motels owned by the defendant.

In addition, the proposed Class has been backdated to February 2015, two years earlier than the first settlement agreement.

Last, there are now two Classes where previously there were three and they have been “defined based on whether the claimant was a registered guest whose information was disclosed (the ‘Primary Class’), or another person who was not a registered guest but who experienced an encounter with Federal Immigration Authorities as a result of the disclosure of a Registered Guest’s information (‘Class 2’).”

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

The plaintiffs are represented by Thomas A. Saenz, Andrés Holguin-Flores and Nina Perales of MALDEF and Daniel R. Ortega Jr. of Ortega Law Firm PC.

The Motel 6 Class Action Lawsuit is Jane V., et al. v. Motel 6 Operating LP, et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-00242, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

 

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13 thoughts onMotel 6 Agrees To Pay $10M For Sharing Guest Info with ICE

  1. Jandyl Hazelett says:

    Plz add me

  2. Sherry Means says:

    Please add me!!

  3. Jody says:

    Please add me

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