Image Source: Super 8 in Havre De Grace, MD, one of the hotels being sued in the lawsuit, courtesy of TripAdvisor.
Andreozzi + Foote has filed a federal civil lawsuit against eight hotels in Maryland and Pennsylvania on behalf of a survivor of sex trafficking, alleging the hotels enabled and profited from trafficking that occurred on their premises between 2013 and through 2016.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland under the federal William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), which allows survivors of sex trafficking to seek civil accountability not only from traffickers, but also from businesses that knowingly benefited, or should have known they were benefiting, from a trafficking venture.
Hotels Named in the Lawsuit
The firm has filed suit against the following eight hotels for their alleged role in enabling trafficking:
- Budget Inn in Havre De Grace, MD
- Budget Inn in Aberdeen, MD
- Super 8 in Havre De Grace, MD
- Super 8 in Aberdeen, MD,
- Days Inn in Aberdeen, MD
- Motel 6 in Edgewood, MD
- Travelodge in Bel Air, MD
- Motel 6 Hotel in York, PA
The lawsuit names the owners, operators, franchisees, managers, and/or supervisors responsible for these properties during the period when the trafficking allegedly occurred.
Allegations Outlined in the Complaint
According to the complaint, the victim was trafficked at the aforementioned hotels over the course of several years, from 2013 through 2016. She was allegedly forced to book hotel rooms in her name, and the traffickers gave her cash to pay for the rooms.
The suit alleges that the victim had visible bruises on her body while at the hotels, and was forced into sex with multiple men and/or women at the hotels.
According to the suit, the significant and noticeable traffic of the sex buyers going in and out of the room rented by the victim would have been obvious to hotel employees.
At one property, the Travelodge in Aberdeen, Maryland, the complaint alleges that a hotel employee knew the victim was being sex trafficked and even discussed it with her.
The complaint alleges that sex trafficking had occurred at the hotel properties prior to the survivor’s exploitation and that the defendants knew or should have known she was being trafficked through force, threats, fraud, or coercion.
The lawsuit further alleges that hotel staff knew or should have known about the sex trafficking occurring at the hotels, due to many red flags, including visible injuries, drug and alcohol impairment, loud disturbances, and the evidence of commercial sex activity inside hotel rooms.
Despite these red flags, the complaint alleges that the hotels continued renting rooms and failed to intervene or report suspected trafficking.
Additional Allegations
The survivor alleges that her traffickers used force and threats, including physical assaults and threats against her and her children, and kept her dependent on drugs and alcohol. The traffickers were not criminally charged.
Civil Accountability Without Criminal Convictions
Although the traffickers in this case were not criminally charged, civil accountability does not always depend on a criminal conviction. This lawsuit focuses on whether the hotels ignored obvious signs of trafficking and continued to profit while exploitation occurred on their properties.
Civil lawsuits under anti-trafficking laws can provide survivors with financial compensation for therapy, medical care, and lost income. They can also help survivors reclaim their voices, expose systemic failures of the institutions that failed them, and push businesses to strengthen their policies, helping protect others from similar harm in the future.
Support and Resources
If you were trafficked at one of the hotels named in this lawsuit, or anywhere else, please contact law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Your voice matters, and reaching out is an important step toward safety and healing.
National Human Trafficking Hotline:
📞 1-888-373-7888 (24/7, confidential)
📱 Text “BEFREE” (233733)
🌐 humantraffickinghotline.org
Can I File a Lawsuit Against a Hotel?
If you were trafficked and want to understand your legal options, Andreozzi + Foote offers free, confidential consultations.
Our attorneys have extensive experience representing survivors of sex trafficking in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and across the nation. Our team listens with compassion, explains your options clearly, and supports you at your own pace.
Whether you choose to pursue legal action or simply want to learn more about your rights, we are here to stand with you in the fight for accountability and justice.
Contact us today.
