A woman has filed a human trafficking lawsuit against the hotels that allegedly turned the other way when the signs of illegal sex trafficking were obvious.

Wanting to be identified only by her initials of J.C., the woman said she was abducted by an acquaintance in 2008 and sold for sex. J.C. only knew the trafficker as a friendly man who would flirt with her at the local gas station near her college campus. One day, he offered to take J.C. for a drive around the neighborhood, but instead, drove her towards to San Francisco, saying that she was going to make a lot of money for him.

In the lawsuit, J.C. alleges she was held captive for four years, during which time she was “required by her trafficker to sexually service paying strangers while enduring brutal physical assaults, psychological torment, verbal abuse, and false imprisonment at the Defendant’s hotels.”

Among the named hotels are the Choice Hotels International Inc.’s Comfort Inn, Marriott International Inc.’s Marriott hotels and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.’s Embassy Suites in Santa Cruz and Fremont, California and in Alexandria, Virginia.

The hotels are accused of knowingly benefiting from human trafficking, or at the very least, they should have known they were benefiting from illegal sex trafficking at their properties. Sex trafficking is a form of forced labor or slavery, which affects nearly 25 million people around the world.

Human Trafficking Lawsuit Sheds Light on Hotel’s Alleged Knowledge

Traffickers and their customers rely upon the hotels that have a “no-tell motel” policy of providing safe havens for sex traffickers. National Human Trafficking Hotline statistics indicate hotels are the number one location for sex trafficking to take place.

Statistics indicate up to 63 percent of all sex trafficking in the U.S. occurs in hotels.

Hotel personnel have a unique vantage point to spot sex trafficking because of the high percentage of human trafficking that operates out of hotels and because hotel personnel are apt to be on the grounds and able to see what’s going on around the property at nearly every hour of the day.

Hotel personnel also can notice indications that human sex trafficking is taking place. According to non-profit organization Hope for Justice, hotels are being used more and more often as brothels.

Among the signs that sex trafficking may be occurring at a hotel:

• Refusing room service for several consecutive days
• Display substance abuse
• Garbage cans full of condoms
• One man checking in with several women
• Different men entering and leaving the room throughout the day and/or night
• Women who appear malnourished, unkempt or bruised
• Women who stay in a room and are never seen leaving
• Guests who have little or no luggage
• One person appears to control documents for the others and answers for them
• A large amount of cash in the room and paying for the room in cash

Despite several hotel chains claiming they train their staff to look for human trafficking signs and to report such suspicions, the questions remain whether all staff is properly trained and whether the hotel has a process to escalate human trafficking concerns within the organization.  The human trafficking lawsuit filed by J.C. looks to hold the hotels accountable for ignoring the problem and profiting from the crime.

According the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, the number of human trafficking cases increased by 25 percent between 2017 and 2018. Statistics show the risk factors for sex trafficking are recent migration or relocation to a new area, substance use, inadequate housing, runaway youth, and mental illness.

The Human Trafficking Lawsuit is J.C. v. Choice Hotels International Inc., et al., Case No. 4:20-cv-00155-KAW in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

If you were a victim of sex trafficking and forced to work at a truck stop, hotel or motel, night club or other hotel venue, you may be eligible to move forward with a civil investigation against these businesses. This investigation involves a civil case, and is not a criminal case against you or your loved ones.

Top Class Actions is working with experienced human trafficking attorneys who will be informed and sensitive to your situation. Join the fight by filling out the short form on this page. 

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