Days Inn Human Trafficking Lawsuit

Days Inn human trafficking cases involve separate civil actions brought by survivors against different hotel owners, operators, franchisees, Days Inns Worldwide, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and other defendants connected to specific properties.

Many of the federal lawsuits involve sex trafficking claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, although some cases also include state-law negligence, premises-liability, vicarious-liability, or trafficking claims.

Plaintiffs have alleged that Days Inn properties were used for commercial sex acts while hotel personnel encountered circumstances associated with repeated trafficking activity.

Other complaints describe interactions between alleged traffickers and hotel staff, prior reports of suspicious conduct, or repeated room use connected to sex trafficking activities.

Days Inn operates within Wyndham’s franchise system, which means the national brand may be legally separate from the company that owned or operated the hotel where the alleged trafficking occurred.

Courts therefore evaluate the conduct, knowledge, financial benefit, and operational role of each defendant rather than treating all Days Inn-related entities as interchangeable.

Legal action involving Days Inn properties has produced different outcomes, including dismissals, rulings allowing claims to proceed, summary-judgment decisions, and settlements with local hotel operators.

Lawsuits, Settlements, and Court Decisions Involving Days Inn Properties

Litigation involving Days Inn-branded properties has produced settlements, dismissals, transfer orders, and rulings allowing claims against particular hotel defendants to continue.

Most publicly reported cases concern alleged sex trafficking, although Days Inn-related litigation has also involved forced labor claims.

Polaris has documented hotels as infrastructure used in both “in-call” and “out-call” sex trafficking models, where commercial sex may occur at the hotel or buyers may be directed to other locations.

Labor trafficking is also relevant to the hospitality industry, with housekeeping identified as the most frequently reported hotel position in Polaris data, while labor trafficking has separately been documented throughout restaurant and food-service work.

When a lawsuit seeks compensation, the survivor must still establish the claims against the particular owner, operator, franchisee, or corporate defendant under the applicable federal or state law.

Recent lawsuits, settlements, and court decisions involving Days Inn properties include:

• April 27, 2026, Jane Doe (A.A.M.) v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.: A survivor alleges that she was sex trafficked between 2010 and 2014 at Days Inn properties in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. The lawsuit seeks compensation from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Days Inns Worldwide, and local hotel entities under the TVPRA. A New Jersey federal court transferred the case to the Western District of Texas in April 2026 without deciding the merits of Wyndham’s motion to dismiss.
• April 6, 2026, Weiner v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.: Jennifer Weiner alleged that she was trafficked for commercial sex at a Days Inn by Wyndham in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2017. The Middle District of Florida dismissed her federal TVPRA claim against Wyndham with prejudice after concluding that the complaint did not adequately allege Wyndham’s participation in the trafficking venture under Eleventh Circuit law. The court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the remaining state-law claim and closed the case.
• September 25, 2025, Stockbridge, Georgia: MASP LLC, the local owner and operator of a Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham, agreed to a reported $5 million settlement with two women who alleged they were trafficked at the property in 2013 when they were 14 years old. The plaintiffs alleged that a front-desk employee acted as a lookout for their trafficker, while MASP denied knowledge of or involvement in the trafficking. Available reporting identifies MASP, rather than Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, as the settling defendant.
• September 22, 2025, M.A. v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.: M.A. alleged that traffickers moved her through multiple Columbus-area hotels, including several Days Inn properties, and subjected her to commercial sex for nearly a year during part of the trafficking period. After years of litigation and discovery, the Southern District of Ohio denied summary-judgment motions filed by MGH Hospitality, Ash Management Corporation, and S&S Airport Motel, the remaining operators of three Days Inn properties. The ruling found factual disputes sufficient for the claims to continue and did not determine final liability.
• July 30, 2025, Timko v. NSPA Lounge LLC: Plaintiffs brought forced labor and labor-trafficking claims involving work at a Days Inn property in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. The federal court concluded that certain claims against Wyndham and other defendants were sufficiently pleaded to proceed beyond the motion-to-dismiss stage. The ruling did not establish that Wyndham or the local hotel defendants participated in labor trafficking.
• March 2025, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The owners of a Days Inn, Motel 6, and North American Motor Inn agreed to a combined $17.5 million settlement with three women who alleged they were trafficked at the properties as minors. Public reporting does not disclose how the settlement was divided among the three hotels, so the full $17.5 million should not be characterized as a Days Inn or Wyndham payment.
• January 7, 2025, Jane Doe (T.R.S.) v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.: A survivor alleged that she was trafficked at the Sacramento Days Inn and another hotel. After she amended her complaint with additional allegations concerning repeated use of the property and information allegedly reported to Wyndham-related entities, the Eastern District of California allowed beneficiary-liability claims against the Wyndham defendants and the local Days Inn operator to proceed while dismissing other theories. The ruling addressed the sufficiency of the allegations and did not establish that the defendants were liable.
• April 2, 2024, S.C. v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.: S.C. alleged that she was trafficked at several hotels, including a Days Inn property in Lakewood, Ohio. The Northern District of Ohio granted summary judgment to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Days Inns Worldwide, and other franchisor defendants after concluding that the evidentiary record did not sufficiently connect them to the alleged trafficking or establish the required notice and control.
• February 2023, Roosevelt Boulevard Days Inn, Philadelphia: The owner of the Days Inn at 4200 Roosevelt Boulevard agreed to a $24 million settlement for eight survivors who were trafficked at the property as minors. Reporting identified the survivors as girls between 14 and 17 years old and described allegations that hotel personnel knew about or assisted the trafficking operation. The settlement involved the property owner and should not be described as a $24 million payment by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts or the Days Inn brand nationally.

Days Inn is one of the hotel brands within the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts portfolio, and Days Inns Worldwide, Inc. serves as the franchisor associated with the brand.

Wyndham’s current corporate disclosures continue to identify Days Inn among its hotel brands and Days Inns Worldwide as a subsidiary within the Wyndham corporate structure.

Many individual Days Inn properties, however, are independently owned and operated under franchise agreements rather than directly owned by Wyndham.

Wyndham has long described its franchise system as one in which various hotels use its brands, reservation systems, marketing resources, and operating standards while remaining separate businesses at the property level.

The company that owns a Days Inn building may also be different from the entity that operates the hotel, manages employees, or controls day-to-day activity at the property.

Ownership and operating relationships can change over time, so human trafficking claims generally require investigation into the entities connected to the hotel during the period identified by the survivor.

The presence of the Days Inn name alone does not establish that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts or Days Inns Worldwide owned, operated, or employed the staff at a particular location.

Can Wyndham Be Liable for Trafficking at a Franchised Days Inn?

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is not automatically liable when trafficking allegedly occurs at an independently owned Days Inn property.

Claims against Wyndham generally require evidence connecting the company itself to the alleged trafficking venture through its financial benefit, participation, knowledge, control, or other defendant-specific conduct.

Federal courts have reached different results in Days Inn cases depending on the allegations and evidence concerning Wyndham’s relationship with the franchisee and the particular property.

Factors that may become relevant to claims against Wyndham include:

• Franchise agreements and operational control, including the authority Wyndham retained over brand standards, inspections, training, or corrective action at the property.
• Financial relationships, including franchise fees, royalties, reservation-system revenue, or other payments connected to operation of the hotel.
• Human trafficking training requirements and evidence concerning whether Wyndham required, monitored, or enforced those requirements at the property.
• Reports of suspicious or criminal activity, including complaints, audits, police activity, or communications allegedly provided to Wyndham or Days Inns Worldwide.
• A failure to report trafficking activities, when the evidence shows that personnel or corporate entities received specific information suggesting trafficking and did not follow applicable reporting procedures.
• Communications between Wyndham and the local franchisee concerning guest activity, prostitution, commercial sex, trafficking indicators, employee conduct, or property safety.
• The employment relationship at the hotel, including whether Wyndham possessed authority over hiring, firing, scheduling, discipline, or supervision of property-level employees.

The results remain highly case-specific. In S.C. v. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., the court granted summary judgment to Wyndham and Days Inns Worldwide after finding insufficient evidence of franchisor control and other connections to the alleged trafficking, while more recent complaints have advanced different factual theories concerning corporate training, compliance systems, and information allegedly available to Wyndham.

A survivor pursuing claims involving a franchised Days Inn therefore must establish the legal and factual basis for liability against Wyndham separately from any claims against the local owner or operator.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has adopted human trafficking policies and training requirements intended to help corporate personnel and franchisees identify and report suspected exploitation.

The company reported that 100% of its corporate team members completed annual human trafficking awareness and prevention training in 2024.

Wyndham also states that it mandates trafficking training for its team members and franchisees and works with organizations including PACT and Business Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST).

Current corporate policies provide context for Wyndham’s approach to trafficking prevention, but they do not establish what training or reporting procedures were in place at a particular Days Inn property during an earlier alleged trafficking period.

What Does Wyndham Say About Human Trafficking Training?

Wyndham states that its human trafficking training is designed to help personnel recognize potential warning signs and understand how suspected trafficking should be reported.

Earlier corporate disclosures specified that general managers at franchised properties were required to complete anti-trafficking training every two years and certify that hotel staff had also been trained.

Wyndham has also described escalation protocols and guidance covering potential trafficking indicators and reporting procedures for hotel personnel.

Training materials have addressed sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation, forced labor, and other forms of human trafficking that may occur within the hospitality industry.

Because Days Inn properties are generally independently owned and operated, implementation of Wyndham’s brand requirements may still depend on the specific franchisee, property, and period involved.

Evidence that a corporate training program existed does not establish whether employees at a particular Days Inn received that training, recognized relevant warning signs, or followed applicable reporting procedures when the alleged trafficking occurred.

You may have grounds to investigate a civil claim if you experienced sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation, forced labor, or related abuse at a Days Inn property.

Eligibility depends on the specific hotel involved, when the trafficking occurred, who owned or operated the property, and what individual defendants allegedly knew or did.

Hotels are one of the most common venues for trafficking activity to become visible within the hotel industry, but the occurrence of trafficking at a property does not by itself establish liability against the local operator, Days Inns Worldwide, or Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

A potential claim may examine repeated room rentals, interactions with hotel personnel, prior police activity, reports concerning potential victims, or allegations that employees were ignoring signs of trafficking.

Evidence may also document physical injuries, psychological abuse, medical or counseling treatment, lost income, and other harm connected to the trafficking.

Claims against a local owner or operator may rely on different facts than claims against Wyndham or another corporate defendant, making the property’s ownership and franchise structure particularly important.

Federal claims under Section 1595 of the TVPRA must satisfy specific requirements concerning a defendant’s financial benefit, participation, and actual or constructive knowledge, while state-law claims may apply different standards.

Our attorneys can review the circumstances, identify the entities connected to the Days Inn property during the relevant period, and determine which potential claims warrant further investigation.

What Factors Could Affect a Days Inn Human Trafficking Claim?

Several facts may affect whether a survivor has a viable civil claim involving a Days Inn property.

The analysis is specific to the survivor, the hotel, the period of alleged trafficking, and the defendants connected to that location.

Relevant factors may include:

• The specific Days Inn property where the alleged trafficking occurred.
• The dates or approximate period of the trafficking.
• The survivor’s age at the time.
• Whether the conduct involved sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, or another form of exploitation.
• The company or individuals that owned and operated the property during the relevant period.
• The franchise relationship between the local hotel and Days Inns Worldwide or Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
• What hotel employees, managers, owners, or corporate entities allegedly observed, were told, or otherwise knew about the activity.
• Prior complaints, police calls, reports of suspicious activity, or other incidents involving the property.
• Available hotel records, reservation information, payment records, communications, medical records, witness statements, or other evidence.
• The federal and state filing deadlines that apply to the potential claims.

Survivors often do not have access to every document needed to evaluate these issues.

Ownership records, franchise agreements, police reports, hotel records, and other information may be obtained through investigation or, after a lawsuit is filed, through formal discovery.

TorHoerman Law is reviewing potential human trafficking claims involving Days Inn-branded properties and other franchised hotels.

Our attorneys can investigate the ownership and operating history of the property, the franchise relationship, prior reports, employee conduct, and other evidence relevant to claims against local operators or national hotel companies.

We can also evaluate the physical, psychological, and financial harm connected to the trafficking and determine what forms of financial compensation may be available under applicable federal or state law.

Litigation involving the hotel industry can also raise awareness of how trafficking may occur at commercial properties, but every case must be evaluated on its own facts and evidence.

Speaking with TorHoerman Law does not require you to file a lawsuit, and consultations are free and confidential.

If you or someone you care about experienced trafficking at a Days Inn property, contact our firm to discuss the circumstances and the legal options that may be available.

Reach out to TorHoerman Law for a free and confidential consultation or use the chat feature on this page to discuss a potential human trafficking claim involving a Days Inn property.