$477,000 Verdict Against Little Rock Motel That Ignored Sex-Trafficking Signs

From August to December 2019, a woman was held at the America's Best Value Inn at 200 S. Shackleford Road in Little Rock and forced into sexual slavery. Two traffickers kept her dependent through drug addiction, physical violence, and manipulation. During those months, the activity was visible enough that motel staff and ownership had repeated opportunities to recognize it and act.

The victim, identified in court as Jane Doe, sued Patel Legacy Hotels LLC, the company that owned and operated the motel. Her claim was straightforward: the property owners knew, or should have known, what was happening on their premises, and they did nothing. The case went to a four-day jury trial in Pulaski County Circuit Court.

Attorney Meredith Moore of Rainwater, Holt and Sexton represented the survivor, along with colleagues from the firm. At trial the plaintiff's team showed the jury that industry standards required motel operators to maintain specific policies and procedures to detect and prevent trafficking. The defense argued the ownership had no reason to suspect anything criminal. The jury disagreed.

In January 2023, the jury found the survivor's total damages to be worth $900,000 and apportioned the motel 53 percent of the fault, resulting in a judgment of $477,000 against Patel Legacy Hotels LLC, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Broadcast reports characterized the award as $600,000 in punitive damages. Moore said after the verdict: "They found that they were negligent, that there were standards, there were policies and procedures that needed to be in place to protect the guests in that motel and that they fell short. Not only did they fall short, but they ignored the signs and they ignored everything that was going on there."

The defense indicated after the verdict that legal issues remained and a potential appeal was being considered. At the time of the news reports, no appeal had been decided. The result was described by local reporters as one of the larger jury awards in Arkansas tied to a sex-trafficking civil case.