A Decatur motel is facing a $40 million verdict for its role in the sex trafficking of a 16 year old.
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 it’s going to turn a blind eye and allow this to go on, then you’re going to be held accountable,” said McDonough. “There are these hotels that it’s basically their business model to rent to sex traffickers and drug dealers and that’s how they make their money.”
McDonough said his client is exhausted by the five-year trial but is relieved by the outcome. The jury awarded the plaintiff $10 million in compensation, and also held United Inn and Suites liable for $30 million in punitive damages.
