Andreozzi + Foote has filed a federal civil sex trafficking lawsuit on behalf of a survivor who alleges that a national hotel property and two Southern California massage parlors financially benefited from the trafficking venture that exploited her.
The lawsuit, K.L. v. Purple Rain Spa, et al., Case No. 8:26-cv-00792-KES, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It names Purple Rain Spa, Lavender Spa, G6 Hospitality Property LLC, and Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate as defendants.
The complaint alleges that these commercial establishments profited from, facilitated, or failed to intervene in sex trafficking occurring on their premises. Andreozzi + Foote seeks to hold the defendants accountable under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and California negligence law.
Key Takeaways
- Andreozzi + Foote filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of trafficking survivor K.L.
- The defendants include Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate, G6 Hospitality Property LLC, Purple Rain Spa, and Lavender Spa.
- The lawsuit alleges that K.L. was trafficked through force, fraud, and coercion at the defendants’ properties.
- Hotel employees allegedly witnessed serious trafficking indicators, including physical and verbal abuse and a constant flow of sex buyers.
- The complaint alleges that spa staff actively facilitated the trafficking by obtaining a massage license for K.L., advertising her on Backpage, collecting money from buyers, and charging for the use of the premises.
- The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, restitution, disgorgement of profits, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and other relief available under federal law.
Survivor Allegedly Trafficked Through Violence, Threats, and Drugs
According to the complaint, K.L.’s trafficker, identified as Jermel Moreland, lured her with promises of legitimate work promoting clubs.
Beginning around 2015, he allegedly used threats, physical violence, psychological coercion, drugs, and control over her identification documents to force her into commercial sex. K.L. alleges that she was trafficked as often as 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Her trafficker allegedly advertised her through Backpage and Instagram using aliases. Sex buyers then met her at hotels and massage parlors throughout Southern California.
The complaint alleges that Moreland instilled a fear of severe bodily injury or death if K.L. refused his demands. She was forced to engage in commercial sex with numerous buyers while the businesses where the trafficking occurred continued collecting money.
Lawsuit Alleges Motel 6 Ignored Obvious Trafficking Indicators
K.L. alleges that her trafficker used the Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate, located at 100 West Disney Way in Anaheim, through and including 2016.
The complaint names both Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate and G6 Hospitality Property LLC. It alleges that G6 Hospitality owned, operated, managed, franchised, or supervised the property during the relevant period.
According to the lawsuit, the trafficker renewed the room every day. Those repeated renewals created a continuous commercial relationship between the hotel and the alleged trafficking venture.
The complaint alleges that hotel employees witnessed numerous warning signs, including:
- A constant flow of sex buyers entering and leaving the room;
- K.L. appearing drug- or alcohol-impaired, sleep-deprived, malnourished, and visibly bruised;
- Her trafficker monitoring the hallway, hotel room, and property perimeter;
- The trafficker or another person constantly shadowing K.L.;
- Cash, drugs, drug paraphernalia, condoms, and lubricant visible to housekeeping employees;
- Loud yelling and screaming from the room;
- Physical and verbal abuse in areas visible or audible to hotel staff;
- Signs that the room was being used for commercial sex; and
- The trafficker visibly controlling K.L. throughout the property.
The complaint describes one particularly alarming incident in which hotel employees allegedly witnessed a physical or verbal altercation between K.L. and her trafficker. Staff required them to leave—but later allowed them to return.
The lawsuit alleges that the hotel continued renting rooms and accepting payments despite these warning signs.
Public Reviews Allegedly Put the Hotel on Notice
Andreozzi + Foote’s investigation also uncovered public Yelp and Tripadvisor reviews referencing prostitution, pimps, drug dealers, and other criminal activity at the Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate.
Those reviews allegedly appeared before or during the period when K.L. was trafficked at the property.
Public reviews do not independently prove that hotel management knew about K.L.’s trafficking. However, they can become important evidence when evaluating whether an operator knew or should have known that trafficking and related criminal activity repeatedly occurred at a particular location.
Combined with what employees allegedly witnessed firsthand, the reviews strengthen the need to examine the hotel’s prior complaints, incident reports, guest records, employee communications, security practices, and anti-trafficking policies.
Purple Rain Spa Allegedly Participated Directly in the Trafficking
The complaint also names Purple Rain Spa, formerly located at 10450 Beach Boulevard, Suite 105, in Stanton, California.
K.L. alleges that Purple Rain Spa did far more than passively overlook suspicious activity. According to the lawsuit, its personnel affirmatively facilitated and profited from her exploitation.
The complaint alleges that spa staff:
- Paid for K.L. to obtain a massage license despite her lack of the required training;
- Advertised her on Backpage;
- Directed buyers to the spa for commercial sex;
- Collected payments from the buyers;
- Charged buyers a “door fee”; and
- Required K.L. to pay for the use of the spa’s space.
These allegations describe a business model that allegedly depended upon and profited directly from commercial sexual exploitation.
Lavender Spa Named in the Federal Lawsuit
The lawsuit also names Lavender Spa, formerly located at 8209 Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove, California.
According to the complaint, K.L. was trafficked at both Purple Rain Spa and Lavender Spa through and including 2016. The lawsuit alleges that the spas collected money from people involved in the trafficking venture and received payment for the use of their premises.
Andreozzi + Foote’s investigation links Purple Rain Spa and Lavender Spa to the same operators, Garrett Biggs and Julie Pham. Authorities previously charged Biggs and Pham with pimping and pandering following a law enforcement raid. Criminal charges constitute allegations and do not establish guilt unless proven in court.
The investigation also found that the Lavender Spa address appeared on escort websites. The lawsuit will examine whether the spas changed the names listed on business licenses or used other individuals to conceal who actually controlled the establishments.
Employees Allegedly Acted as Lookouts
The complaint contains another serious allegation: staff members at the defendants’ businesses allegedly served as lookouts or informants for the trafficker.
According to the lawsuit, the trafficker paid, befriended, or otherwise compensated employees to warn him about police activity or similar threats to the operation.
If proven, these allegations would reflect far more than a failure to recognize warning signs. They would show active assistance that helped the trafficking venture evade detection and continue exploiting K.L.
What Does the TVPRA Allow Survivors to Do?
The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act provides a federal civil remedy for trafficking survivors.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 1595, a survivor may bring a civil lawsuit against a trafficker. The law also permits claims against a person or business that knowingly benefited financially—or received something of value—from participating in a venture it knew or should have known engaged in trafficking.
A survivor does not need to prove that a hotel or other business committed the trafficking itself. A beneficiary claim may focus on whether the business:
- Received money or something else of value;
- Participated in a commercial venture connected to the trafficking; and
- Knew or should have known that the venture engaged in conduct prohibited by federal trafficking law.
In this case, the lawsuit alleges that the Motel 6 defendants received room revenue while the spas collected payments and fees tied directly to the commercial sex operation.
Hotels Cannot Profit From Trafficking and Ignore the Evidence
Sex trafficking does not remain invisible when buyers continuously enter and leave the same hotel room, a trafficker renews that room every day, employees observe violence and visible injuries, and housekeeping repeatedly encounters evidence of commercial sex.
Hotels possess the authority to monitor their properties, refuse or terminate room rentals, contact law enforcement, document suspicious conduct, train employees, and implement protocols designed to identify trafficking.
The complaint alleges that Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate and G6 Hospitality failed to implement adequate policies for preventing, identifying, documenting, reporting, investigating, and stopping sex trafficking.
The lawsuit also alleges that proper anti-trafficking policies could have prevented or reduced the harm K.L. suffered.
Massage Parlors Must Also Face Accountability
Massage businesses cannot collect door fees, advertise women for commercial sex, facilitate questionable licensing, and provide space for sexual exploitation without scrutiny.
The allegations against Purple Rain Spa and Lavender Spa describe affirmative participation in a trafficking venture—not merely missed warning signs.
Businesses that create the infrastructure for commercial sexual exploitation, collect money from it, or help traffickers avoid detection must face accountability for the harm they enable.
What Damages Does the Lawsuit Seek?
K.L.’s complaint asserts claims under the TVPRA and for negligence, gross negligence, and recklessness.
The lawsuit seeks:
- Compensatory damages;
- Past and future emotional-distress damages;
- Noneconomic damages for pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life;
- Consequential and special damages;
- Restitution;
- Disgorgement of profits;
- Punitive damages;
- Attorneys’ fees and litigation costs; and
- All other relief available under federal and state law.
K.L. has also demanded a jury trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is K.L. v. Purple Rain Spa?
K.L. v. Purple Rain Spa, et al. is a federal civil sex trafficking lawsuit filed by Andreozzi + Foote in the Central District of California. The case number is 8:26-cv-00792-KES.
Who are the defendants?
The complaint names Purple Rain Spa, Lavender Spa, G6 Hospitality Property LLC, and Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate.
Where are the properties located?
Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate is located at 100 West Disney Way in Anaheim. Purple Rain Spa operated at 10450 Beach Boulevard, Suite 105, in Stanton. Lavender Spa operated at 8209 Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove.
What does the lawsuit allege against Motel 6?
The lawsuit alleges that the hotel repeatedly rented rooms to K.L.’s trafficker, financially benefited from the rentals, observed numerous trafficking indicators, and failed to intervene adequately.
What does the lawsuit allege against the spas?
The complaint alleges that spa personnel obtained a massage license for K.L., advertised her on Backpage, collected payments from sex buyers, charged fees for use of the premises, and otherwise facilitated the trafficking venture.
Does a business need to commit trafficking directly to face a TVPRA lawsuit?
Not necessarily. Section 1595 allows a survivor to pursue a business that knowingly benefited from participating in a venture it knew or should have known engaged in trafficking. Whether a defendant meets that standard depends on the evidence.
Why This Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Matters
This is not a case involving subtle or isolated warning signs.
K.L. alleges that a trafficker exploited her day after day while a hotel repeatedly renewed his room and commercial spas collected payments connected to her abuse. Employees allegedly witnessed violence, visible injuries, constant buyer traffic, drug activity, and overt control. Spa personnel allegedly advertised K.L. and collected money directly from buyers.
The hospitality and massage industries cannot provide traffickers with rooms, advertising, access to buyers, warnings about law enforcement, and places to commit exploitation—then keep the profits and disclaim responsibility.
Andreozzi + Foote filed this lawsuit to pursue accountability from every business that allegedly benefited from K.L.’s trafficking and failed to act.
Speaking With a Sex Trafficking Lawyer About Your Rights
Andreozzi + Foote represents survivors of sex trafficking nationwide. We investigate traffickers as well as hotels, massage businesses, websites, transportation companies, and other entities that may have enabled or profited from exploitation.
To speak confidentially with an experienced sex trafficking attorney, call Andreozzi + Foote at (866) 858-3790 or email info@vca.law. Your consultation is free and confidential.
The allegations described in this article come from the complaint and Andreozzi + Foote’s investigation. The defendants may contest these allegations, and no court has yet determined liability.
