Ignoring trafficking for profit- Red Roof Inn complicit in crime
According to an investigation by The Independent, sex trafficking survivors are poised to file hundreds of lawsuits against Red Roof Inn, one of the largest budget hotel chains in America. Survivors say that for years the chain knowingly turned a blind eye to the trafficking going on at multiple locations and profited millions from their exploitation across the U.S.
Prioritizing profit over protection
At least 42 federal lawsuits against Red Roof Inn are currently underway and hundreds more victims are filing legal actions, according to the attorneys handling the cases. Survivors say “red flags” were purposely ignored by the staff. Signs like women needing “permission” to speak, for example, should have been a clue for concern. But Red Roof Inn management took no action.
An attorney representing close to 1,000 sex trafficking victims in cases involving Red Roof Inn said:
“Red Roof Inn intentionally ignored the problem of human sex trafficking in its hotels and completely failed to put any meaningful policies and procedures in place. Instead, their focus was on one thing: money,”
The investigation found that at Red Roof locations across the U.S., sex trafficking had reached an “epidemic level”, with the true number of victims estimated to be in the thousands. Attorneys for the survivors say forced prostitution at multiple Red Roof locations was so rampant and obvious that by turning a blind eye, the company fostered the ideal conditions for sex trafficking.