Federal jury orders hotel owner to pay $164M in child sex trafficking suit
College Park hotel hit with $164M trafficking verdict
A federal jury ordered College Park hotel owner Lincoln Bancorp LLC to pay $164 million to a trafficking victim after finding the Super 8 operator facilitated child sex trafficking on Old National Highway.
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - A federal jury has ordered a College Park hotel owner to pay $164 million to a child sex trafficking victim who was trafficked at the hotel in 2020.
"They set up an environment for children to be sold," said Patrick McDonough, the victim's attorney. "This hotel operator would actually warn the traffickers if the police were coming."
"She was there for 120 days," McDonough said. "Hey, look, if you're going to turn a blind eye and profit off of children being sold, you're going to be held accountable."
By the numbers:
The federal jury ordered Lincoln Bancorp LLC to pay $44 million in compensatory damages and $120 million in punitive damages, according to the verdict.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours before reaching the verdict last week.
The backstory:
The victim was 15 years old when traffickers repeatedly brought her to the Super 8 hotel on Old National Highway in 2020 and 2021.
The victim chose to remain anonymous.
Last year, an Atlanta jury returned a $40 million verdict against United Inn and Suites in DeKalb County involving a 16-year-old victim, making it the first hotel in Georgia found civilly liable for sex trafficking.
The other side:
Lincoln Bancorp LLC was the property owner at the time of the trafficking.
The Super 8 location is now under new ownership.
FOX 5 reached out to Lincoln Bancorp for comment, but no response was received.
What's next:
McDonough stated that at least three other cases involving this Super 8 location remain pending.
"What we're hoping is these type of verdicts won't end sex trafficking, but hopefully will help slow it," McDonough said.
The area surrounding Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has long been a hotbed for sex trafficking. Advocates trained airport employees earlier this year on identifying warning signs.
"You see something, say something," said Susan Norris, founder of Rescuing Hope, in a May interview with FOX 5. "I would rather you be wrong and let law enforcement investigate it and make certain that everyone's safe."
The Source: This article is based on original reporting by FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo, who obtained court filings and the jury's verdict. Tyler Fingert contributed to this report.