A federal jury has awarded $40 million to a survivor of sex trafficking who was repeatedly sexually exploited at a Georgia hotel when she was just 16 years old. The verdict marks a significant milestone in holding hotels accountable under a federal anti-trafficking law.

The survivor, identified in court only as J.G., received $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages. The decision was against Northbrook Industries, Inc., the owner of the hotel where the abuse took place.

Hotel blamed for putting “profits over people”

According to her attorneys, J.G. was trafficked at the hotel between 2018 and 2019. Over just 40 days, she was exploited more than 200 times, often in plain view of hotel staff. As reported by The Independent, dozens of men came and went from her room daily. Still, the hotel failed to intervene, despite obvious signs of criminal activity.

The lawsuit stated that hotel staff ignored blatant warning signs. Most concerningly, an alert from law enforcement identifying J.G. as a missing minor. Instead of acting to protect her, employees allegedly turned a blind eye as the exploitation continued.

J.G.’s attorney, Patrick McDonough, accused the hotel of prioritizing profit over basic human safety. He states:

“Punitive damages aren’t just a message to this hotel; punitive damages are a message and a statement to the hospitality industry. What it says is, if you’re going to run one of these hotels, you need to do your due diligence.”

“There’s a lot of great people that run great hotels and who do the right thing… it’s just there’s certain places out there that decide they’re going to put profits over people and in this case, over children.”

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