ATLANTA — Advocates and legal experts say they’re seeing a significant rise in both criminal and civil sex trafficking cases being brought to court in Georgia with new legal tools empowering survivors and increasing pressure on third parties—like hotels—to take responsibility.
A federal jury recently awarded a $40 million judgment to a survivor who was just 15 years old at the time of being trafficked.
The case marked the first jury trial in Georgia under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act that directly targeted a hotel accused of turning a blind eye to trafficking activity on its property.
The civil suit claimed hotel staff ignored clear signs that the teenage girl was being trafficked, including dozens of men visiting her room over the span of more than a month.
“Even though maybe it was only 40 days, it’s a lifetime of trauma that they will experience,” said Emma Hetherington, an advocate and professor at the University of Georgia’s Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic.
Hetherington said that since 2015, there’s been a growing movement to hold businesses accountable when they benefit directly or indirectly from sex trafficking.
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“Victims of sex trafficking have the right to bring a civil tort claim not just against their traffickers, but also against third parties like hotels who may have some liability,” she said.
In a separate case, Atlanta rapper John Gibson, known as “Ca$h Out,” is facing RICO charges in Fulton County on allegations that he and several co-defendants forced women into prostitution.
According to court testimony, victims say they met Gibson during moments of vulnerability and were later coerced into sex acts at various hotels around metro Atlanta.
Prosecutors allege Gibson was the face of a broader enterprise that exploited women for profit. Gibson and his attorney have denied the allegations.
Hetherington said cases like these reflect a shift in how the legal system addresses sex trafficking.
“It really wasn’t until 2015 that we started seeing a lot of these civil lawsuits popping up,” Hetherington said. “These cases send a clear message to businesses: it’s not enough to just rent rooms—there must be accountability.”
Meanwhile, jury selection is underway in another federal sex trafficking case, again targeting a hotel accused of facilitating trafficking by ignoring red flags.
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