SALSIBURY, Md. (AP) - Four women who say they were forced into prostitution are suing the owners of a Salisbury hotel, arguing that staff either knew or should have known that the hotel was a site for human trafficking.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports the victims filed separate lawsuits Friday in Wicomico County Circuit Court against the owners of the America's Best Value Inn in Salisbury.
The hotel was the site of a 2014 human-trafficking bust in which the ringleader, Cornelius Briddell, was given a 145-year prison sentence.
The lawsuit says the hotel owners had a duty to keep the property safe.
Red Lion Hotels Corp., which acquired the America's Best Value Inn last year, says the company works to educate independent owners about recognizing the signs of trafficking and reporting it.
