Two women say they were forced into sex trafficking for years, and now they are suing the operator of an Orlando hotel, claiming the business knowingly rented rooms to their trafficker and profited from the alleged trafficking.
A lawsuit described in a report by WKMG alleges the hotel business rented rooms to the women's trafficker while knowing, or having reason to know, about the alleged trafficking. The suit further claims the hotel financially benefited from the alleged trafficking crimes, according to the same report.
A Federal Law Built for Cases Like This
The lawsuit relies on a specific piece of federal law designed for exactly this kind of claim. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1595 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, survivors of trafficking can sue individuals or businesses that financially benefited from a trafficking venture they knew or should have known was happening on their property, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Survivors do not have to prove a hotel operator directly ran the trafficking operation — only that the business knew, or should have known, illegal conduct was taking place while it kept collecting room revenue.
That legal standard has opened the door to litigation nationwide. Amendments expanding civil liability under the statute allow claims against those who knowingly benefit or conspire to benefit from a trafficking venture, per Lathrop GPM. Plaintiffs in similar cases have argued that hotel chains have systematically prioritized profits over guest and victim safety.
Florida's Rules for Spotting Trafficking at the Front Desk
Florida has layered state-specific requirements on top of federal law. Florida Statute § 509.096 requires every public lodging establishment in the state to give front desk, reception, and housekeeping employees annual human trafficking awareness training, with new hires required to complete it within 60 days of starting work, according to the Florida Senate. Hotels are also required to post a public-awareness sign with the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline number, 1-855-FLA-SAFE, per the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Enforcement has tightened in recent years. Effective July 1, 2023, the Florida Division of Hotels and Restaurants cut the compliance window for training violations from 90 days down to 45 days for first-time offenders, and began mandating immediate administrative fines for repeat violators, according to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. The state consistently ranks third nationally in reported human trafficking cases on the National Human Trafficking Hotline, trailing only California and Texas, per WUFT News.
The TVPRA's Limitations Provision
The TVPRA's limitations provision was amended in 2015, per Cornell's legal database.
Hoodline has previously reported on comparable cases, including a San Diego Motel 6 lawsuit and a Houston teen's suit against a national hotel operator, both filed under the same federal statute.
