Treasure Coast - Monday August 19, 2024: Stuart Attorney Travis R. Walker has filed a lawsuit against several nationally known hotels alleging their involvement in child sex trafficking, according to a news release issued by TRW Law Monday.
“The allegations in this case represent a severe breach of human rights,” said attorney Travis Walker who filed the lawsuit. “This lawsuit highlights our dedication to securing justice for the victims and holding these corporations responsible for their actions.”
The major hotels cited in the lawsuit include Wyndham Hotels, and some of the franchised hotels owned by Choice Hotels International, specifically the Days Inn, Quality Inn, and Holiday Inn & Suites located in Florida. The lawsuit also cites an adult dating website called 'Backpage', and 'Salesforce', a company that provides software applications for the management of customer relations. In addition, several “Johns” are named, including a Delray Beach man.
The 152-page complaint was filed in the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Florida on July 17.
According to TRW Law's news release, the lawsuit alleges that Salesforce supplied the technological framework for the trafficking transactions; and Days Inn, Holiday Inn and Quality Inn offered the locations where the trafficking transpired. The Backpage website is accused of being the prime purveyor of the advertisements. Backpage has since been shuttered by the federal government for facilitating prostitution.
The complaint "chronicles the traumatic sex trafficking nightmare of a young girl." It alleges the "sinister involvement" of the named defendants in "child sex trafficking in which a young survivor endured brutal prolonged periods of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse that resulted in severe trauma, the contraction of multiple sexually transmitted diseases, and lifelong medical issues."
Key aspects of the lawsuit:
• Salesforce providing technical support and customer relationship management tools to Backpage, despite knowing its involvement in trafficking.
• The hotels’ failure to implement adequate safeguards to prevent trafficking on its premises, despite numerous incidents and evident indicators.
• Backpage actively promoting and facilitating trafficking transactions, disregarding multiple warnings and legal actions over time.