$10M lawsuit claims Bronx motel turned blind eye to sex trafficking

A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against an Econo Lodge in the Bronx and a Howard Johnson’s in Queens for allegedly turning a blind eye to sex trafficking involving a 10-year-old girl.

News 12 Staff

Oct 30, 2019, 9:26 PM

Updated 1,639 days ago

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A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against an Econo Lodge in the Bronx and a Howard Johnson’s in Queens for allegedly turning a blind eye to sex trafficking involving a 10-year-old girl.
The suit claims that the girl, who is now in her 20s, was sold for sex between the ages of 10 and 13. It claims that motel staff never called police and ignored obvious warning signs displayed by the victim.
Choice Hotels, the parent company for Econo Lodge, said in a statement that it “condemns human trafficking.”
“As a signatory of Ecpat's Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, we are committed to working with our independently owned and operated franchised hotels to combat this violation of human rights," the statement reads.
 


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