COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The federal sex trafficking case involving Red Roof Inn has ended in a settlement.
Channel 2 Action News has been following the case for weeks. Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was outside the courtroom on Wednesday when the national hotel brand settled with the 11 survivors.
The plaintiff’s claim Red Roof Inn knew a sex trafficking operation occurred from 2009 to 2018 at two Red Roof Inns in Metro Atlanta, including one near Windy Hill Road in Cobb County.
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They say the Red Roof Inn not only knew about the problem, but profited from it. Red Roof Inn has continuously denied the allegations.
Red Roof Inn shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News that read,
“Red Roof denies all allegations, and condemns sex trafficking in all forms. After the first day that defense presented its case, the parties came to an amicable resolution and resolved the matter to the satisfaction of all involved. Red Roof will continue to work with industry partners in the fight to eradicate sex trafficking and the exploitation of victims.”
It’s unclear how much the parties involved, settled for.
The defense began presenting its case on Tuesday.
The survivors who are suing the Red Roof Inn and other related corporate entities say they were forced to have sex with numerous men and physically abused.
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“It is the first trial in the country that seeks to hold a hotel brand directly responsible for what happened on the ground level.
It was really important to our clients to be able to tell their story, to shine a light on what’s happening all around us in our community in the hopes that that doesn’t happen to other people,” said Attorney Sachin Varghese, partner at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP.
“This case has been pending since 2020 and what I can say is that our clients have been with us the whole way and they have been incredibly brave and courageous to come forward to share these stories of the most horrible things that have happened in their lives. They’ve done it because they want to shine a light, they want to show what’s happening right here in Atlanta and they want to help the next person who might find themselves in the situation,” said Attorney Tiana Mykkeltvedt, Partner at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP.
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