Press Appearances
AJC:
Stockbridge hotel pays $5M to end sex trafficking lawsuit
Two women trafficked as teens at a metro Atlanta Days Inn have secured a $5 million settlement, choosing to make it public in hopes of driving awareness and change. One survivor spoke out about reclaiming her voice after surviving abuse at age 14.
“It didn’t break me… but it did build me. And what it did is just built a very strong woman.”
This case adds to growing legal efforts to hold hotels accountable for enabling trafficking by ignoring visible signs.
Read the Article: Stockbridge hotel pays $5M to end sex trafficking lawsuit
Law360
Ga. Motel to Pay $5M to Settle Sex Trafficking Claims
A $5 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against a metro Atlanta Days Inn, where two girls were trafficked at just 14 years old.
Lead attorney Patrick McDonough said, “By standing up and demanding accountability, these survivors are forcing the industry to confront its role in providing the crime scene for trafficking.”
This case adds to a wave of legal action aimed at pushing the hospitality industry to take responsibility for preventing human trafficking on their premises.
Read the Article: Ga. Motel to Pay $5M to Settle Sex Trafficking Claims
11Alive:
A $5M settlement for metro Atlanta trafficking survivors highlights failures in hotel industry owners
ANF
Child sex trafficking survivors receive multimillion-dollar settlement from Stockbridge hotel
Fox 5 Atlanta:
Atlanta-area Days Inn settles $5M child sex trafficking lawsuit
A Days Inn hotel in Stockbridge, GA has agreed to pay $5 million to two women trafficked at age 14, who alleged hotel staff ignored and enabled the abuse. The lawsuit was settled publicly to raise awareness and press for reform in the hotel industry.
Attorney Pat McDonough, who led the case, said: “The whole goal is to try to change the hospitality industry where it’s not profitable for them to do that.”
Evidence showed front desk staff were complicit in the trafficking, making this case a stark reminder of the industry’s role in preventing exploitation.
Read the Article: Atlanta-area Days Inn settles $5m child sex trafficking lawsuit
Henry Herald:
$5 million settlement reached in trafficking lawsuit against Stockbridge hotel owner
Two women who were trafficked at age 14 at a metro Atlanta Days Inn have reached a $5 million settlement with the hotel’s operator. Their attorney, Pat McDonough, who leads the anti-sex trafficking division at Andersen, Tate & Carr, emphasized that the case was about more than money:
“This isn’t just another case, it’s about accountability. … These survivors are forcing the industry to confront its role in providing the crime scene for trafficking.”
The survivors chose to make their settlement public to raise awareness and push for change within the hospitality sector.
Read the Article: $5 million settlement reached in trafficking lawsuit against Stockbridge hotel owner
Law.com
Pat McDonough secured a $6 million settlement on behalf of a survivor of child sex trafficking against the operators of a Super 8 motel in Tucker, Georgia. The case, filed under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), alleged that the hotel allowed illegal activity on its premises despite clear signs of exploitation.
The settlement, reached on the eve of trial, followed a landmark $40 million verdict earlier that month in a case also handled by McDonough.
“This was about more than money,” said McDonough, “it was about accountability and creating change in the hospitality industry.”
AJC:
Tucker hotel pays $6m to end child sex trafficking case
A hotel in Tucker, Georgia agreed to a $6m settlement to resolve a lawsuit alleging it enabled the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl on its premises. The agreement, reached just before trial, follows a $40 million verdict in a similar case. The Plaintiff’s attorney, Pat McDonough, say the hotel had strong evidence against it and hopes the outcome signals a call for change in the hospitality industry.
Read the Article: Tucker Hotel Pays $6m to end child sex trafficking case
WABE:
Jury awards sex trafficking victim $40 million in case against Decatur motel
Pat McDonough, the lead attorney representing the victim, said this trial is the first of its kind to reach a jury in Georgia. A case he tried last year was settled before a verdict.
He hopes this case will put more pressure on hotel owners to enact policies that prevent trafficking.
“The goal is to say, ‘If you’re going to run a hotel, and its going to turn a blind eye and allow this to go on, then you’re going to be held accountable.
Read the Article: Jury awards sex trafficking victim $40 million in case against Decatur motel
Or listen to the interview below.
AJC:
Historic $40M sex trafficking verdict reached as next trial nears
A federal jury has ordered United Inn & Suites in Dekalb County to pay $40 million to a woman who was trafficked for sex at a hotel as a 16-year-old in 2018 and 2019. The decision marks the first jury verdict of its kind in Georgia under the federal anti-trafficking statute, after years of similar cases ending in settlements.
Read the Article: Historic $40M sex trafficking verdict reached as next trial nears
AJC & Law360:
Red Roof Inn Settles Sex Trafficking Case on Eve of Trial
Red Roof Inn has settled allegations it participated in and profited from years of sex trafficking at two Atlanta-area hotels, on the eve of a trial due to start in a federal court on Monday.
The settlement came over the weekend of 10/25-26 in a civil case brought by four women who alleged they were the victims of sex trafficking at Red Roof Inn hotels on Corporate Plaza in Smyrna and North Druid Hills Road in Buckhead between 2010 and 2017.
Read the AJC Article: Updated: Red Roof Inn Settles Sex Trafficking Case on Eve of Trial
Read the Law360 Article: Ga. Hotel Sex Trafficking Suit Settles Before Trial
WABE:
Appeals court ruling sets up first civil sex trafficking case in Georgia’s state courts
Patrick McDonough is a partner at Andersen, Tate and Carr, who leads the sex trafficking division for the firm. He’s representing the plaintiff, Jane Doe, in her lawsuit against the motel. McDonough said this is the first civil sex trafficking case in Georgia state courts and the first Georgia Court of Appeals opinion on how existing Georgia law applies to claims of minor sex trafficking.
Read the Article: Appeals court ruling sets up first civil sex trafficking case in Georgia’s state courts
Or listen to the interview below.
Marietta Daily Journal:
New lawsuits filed against Red Roof Inn in sex trafficking case
Patrick McDonough, an attorney for the plaintiffs who also filed the 2019 lawsuit, called the “sheer number of children and young survivors who have similar tragic stories regarding the Red Roof hotel chain … staggering. It is clear that unless survivors speak out, hotels like the Red Roof Inns in these lawsuits will only continue to allow others to be similarly victimized.”
Read the Article: New lawsuits filed against Red Roof Inn in sex trafficking case
The Gwinett Daily Post:
Victims of sex trafficking suing owners of Norcross Red Roof Inn; allege hotel turned a blind eye to prostitution
“The sheer number of children and young survivors who have similar tragic stories regarding the Red Roof hotel chain is staggering,” attorney Pat McDonough said in a statement. “Each of the survivors in these cases hopes that by stepping forward she can usher in change that will help other victims. It is clear that unless survivors speak out, hotels like the Red Roof Inns in these lawsuits will only continue to allow others to be similarly victimized.”
Read the Article: Victims of sex trafficking suing owners of Norcross Red Roof Inn; allege hotel turned a blind eye to prostitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Marietta Hotel the Latest Named in Federal Sex Trafficking Lawsuits
“It is an honor to represent such brave survivors,” attorney Pat McDonough told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Both clients are committed to seeking justice not only for themselves but also to ensure that hotels stop turning a blind eye to other children and young people who are repeatedly trapped and exploited at their hotels.”
Read the Article: Marietta Hotel the Latest Named in Federal Sex Trafficking Lawsuits
