$5 Million Settlement in Motel Sex Trafficking Case

Two women who alleged they were trafficked as minors at a metro Atlanta Days Inn have secured a $5 million settlement from the motel’s ownership. The civil case, filed in federal court under the pseudonyms A.J. and Q.C., accused the Stockbridge, Georgia, franchise of allowing sex trafficking to occur on its premises in March 2013, when both plaintiffs were just 14 years old.

According to the lawsuit, A.J. and Q.C. were held in a room at the Days Inn for several days, where they were repeatedly sold for sex to at least 15 buyers. The trafficker, they alleged, had a documented history of engaging in similar conduct at the same location. The women claimed that hotel staff failed to intervene despite obvious signs of criminal activity and, in some instances, directly assisted the trafficker.

Evidence of Complicity

In their complaint, the plaintiffs detailed numerous red flags in the motel room that indicated sex trafficking. These included used condoms, multiple large boxes of condoms, several mobile phones, and digital timers—all items commonly associated with trafficking operations.

The lawsuit went further, alleging that hotel employees acted as lookouts and warned the trafficker if the girls attempted to escape or drew attention. A.J. and Q.C. said they were threatened with eviction if they made themselves too visible, and they argued that MASP LLC—the company that owns the Days Inn location—knew or should have known that its employees were facilitating the trafficking.

Both women were eventually rescued when law enforcement arrested their trafficker, ending what they described as a period of exploitation and abuse that took place in plain view.

A Broader Pattern in Georgia

This case is part of a growing trend of litigation aimed at holding hotel operators accountable for enabling human trafficking. The $5 million settlement with MASP LLC is one in a series of significant legal outcomes involving Georgia motels.

Andersen Tate & Carr PC, which represented A.J. and Q.C., has been at the forefront of these efforts. In 2023, the firm represented a group of 11 survivors in a suit against two Red Roof Inn locations in Atlanta. That case, which could have resulted in the first jury verdict against a national hotel chain for trafficking-related negligence, settled during the early days of trial.

In a separate matter, the firm reached a $6 million settlement this summer with another Atlanta-area motel. Most notably, in July, Andersen Tate & Carr, along with Finch McCranie LLP, secured a $40 million jury verdict against United Inn & Suites in DeKalb County—the first successful jury award for a trafficking claim against a hotel in Georgia.

Legal Representation

The plaintiffs in the Days Inn case were represented by attorneys Patrick J. McDonough, Jonathan S. Tonge, Jennifer Webster, and Rory Allen Weeks of Andersen Tate & Carr PC. MASP LLC was represented by Tracy Anne Gilmore, Kori Wagner, and Melissa Holly Merrill of Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP.

“This isn’t just another case, it’s about accountability,” McDonough said in a public statement. “Two children were sold at a mainstream hotel in our community. By standing up and demanding accountability, these survivors are forcing the industry to confront its role in providing the crime scene for trafficking.”

Case Information

The matter was filed as A.J. et al. v. MASP LLC, case number 1:23-cv-04247, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The $5 million settlement concludes the plaintiffs' claims and avoids a potentially lengthy trial.