More than 1,700 sex trafficking lawsuits have been filed against Econo Lodge and other hotels by survivors who claim that hotel staff ignored obvious signs of sexual abuse.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Econo Lodge induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know is a survivor of sex trafficking at an Econo Lodge hotel, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What is Econo Lodge?
Econo Lodge® is a budget motel chain in the U.S. and Canada. The chain is owned by the Choice Hotels system. As of December 2023, there were 673 Econo Lodge locations in the U.S., with most of them found in Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Why Do Sex Traffickers Use Budget Hotels?
Motels have a reputation for being used by sex traffickers, which is why they are sometimes called “no-tell hotels.” Budget motels are often located near highways with easy access for sex buyers.
Sex traffickers can often pay in cash to maintain secrecy in their finances. Motel staff may have no idea what is going on inside the room, or if they do, little incentive to call police and report the abuse.
Econo Lodge Sex Trafficking Lawsuit
In June 2023, a sex trafficking lawsuit was filed in Pennsylvania by a young woman who claims that she was raped at Econo Lodge, Motel 6, and Knights Inn.
The plaintiff, identified as “S.W.,” claims that she was under 18 years old when she was trafficked for sex at several airport hotels. She claims that hotel staff ignored obvious signs of sex trafficking, such as:
- Large amounts of cash
- Used condoms scattered in the rooms
- High foot traffic in the rooms
- Multiple rooms rented next to each other
- Housekeepers turned away
- Unrelated woman staying in the same room without leaving all day
- And more
The lawsuit was filed on June 9, 2023 in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas — Case ID 230600986.
$10 Million Lawsuit Claims Econo Lodge Turned “Blind Eye” to Sex Trafficking
In October 2019, a sex trafficking lawsuit was filed against the company that owns Econo Lodge and Howard Johnson.
The plaintiff, identified only as “S.J.,” claims she was sold for sex as much as 15 to 20 times per day at hotels in New York City from 2006 to 2009, when she was between the ages of 10 and 13 years old.
She claims that the trafficker would always pay for the rooms in cash, and when he didn’t have money for rooms at the Econo Lodge, he allowed hotel staff to rape her “in lieu of his payment for the rooms.”
The lawsuit alleges that staff at the Econo Lodge knew (or should have known) about sex trafficking at the hotel. There was constant foot traffic in and out of the rooms, numerous used condoms scattered in the rooms at the end of each stay, and even a bowl of free condoms displayed at the front desk that victims would use when they ran out.
The lawsuit accuses hotel staff of failing to report sexual abuse of minors, failing to call police, and ignoring obvious signs of prostitution displayed by S.J. and other young victims, such as a lack of luggage.
Her lawsuit is seeking more than $10 million in damages from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Choice Hotels Corporation.
Do I have an Econo Lodge Sex Trafficking Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Econo Lodge induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know is a survivor of sex trafficking at an Econo Lodge hotel, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Sexual Abuse Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
