Sex trafficking is defined by federal law as recruiting, transporting, housing, obtaining, providing, soliciting, or patronizing a person under 18 years of age to make that person engage in commercial sexual activity through force, fraud, or coercion. It is one of the most widespread and consequential criminal activities that state and federal law enforcement authorities regularly face. It is also something that negatively impacts the life of anyone involved.
In recent years, it has also increasingly served as legal grounds for civil lawsuits filed by victims against the people, businesses, and organizations who engaged in or facilitated the abuse they experienced. If you want to learn more about sex trafficking lawsuits or explore the possibility of pursuing one yourself, a conversation with a compassionate and capable human trafficking lawyer from Phillips Law Group can provide you with the answers and information you need.
Possible Defendants in Sex Trafficking Litigation
Any individual who directly engages in sex trafficking in any way can be held criminally and civilly liable. This includes transporting minors across state or international borders for commercial sexual activity, as well as soliciting such activity. It is important to take legal action against individuals and businesses that knowingly benefitted from sex trafficking.
As a qualified attorney can explain in more detail, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act established numerous safeguards for victims of international sex trafficking in 2008, including the right to demand civil restitution for damages directly caused by a sex trafficking enterprise to a trafficked individual. In particular, major hotel chains such as Marriott and Hilton have been named as defendants in lawsuits alleging that they held vicarious liability for sex traffickers using their hotels as part of their trafficking enterprise, and many of those claims are still ongoing as of 2025.
What Damages Could Be Available Through a Successful Claim?
Financial compensation alone cannot erase the immense pain and trauma caused by being a victim of sex trafficking. However, what a successful sex trafficking claim can do is improve the plaintiff’s overall quality of life in the future by reimbursing them for specific physical, financial, and personal losses suffered as a direct result of misconduct by the defendant(s) named in their claim.
Depending on the circumstances, this could include economic forms of harm—like medical expenses and lost work income—and non-economic forms of harm—like physical pain and psychological distress. An experienced legal professional can provide crucial context about what type of losses may need to be factored into a specific claim and what the best course of action would be for pursuing restitution.
Learn More About Sex Trafficking Claims From an Experienced Attorney
At the state and national levels, sex trafficking lawsuits remain a relatively new proceeding, and much is still to be determined about how liability can be assigned for involvement in this unjustifiable act. However, having help from a dependable legal professional is key to protecting your rights and giving yourself the best chance of obtaining a favorable outcome for your circumstances.
An attorney from Phillips Law Group can be the ally you need to effectively pursue your sex trafficking lawsuit to the fullest extent possible. Call today to speak with one of our compassionate team members about your legal options.
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