Woman gets $164 million after hotel staff failed to help her escape trafficking

A woman who was sexually exploited at a Georgia hotel as a teenager has won $164 million in damages from the property's former operator. A federal jury in Atlanta found against Lincoln Bancorp LLC in a case involving trafficking at a Super 8 by Wyndham in College Park.According to Atlanta Journal Constitution, the woman was 15 when the alleged exploitation began in 2020. It continued into 2021, when she was 16. During her testimony, she described how hotel employees failed to help her get away from the situation. Her lawyers argued that the company should be held responsible for what happened at the property.The jury delivered its decision in September. It awarded the woman $44 million for the harm she suffered and imposed a further $120 million in punitive damages. The total award came to $164 million.The hotel was located on Old National Highway, near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Lincoln Bancorp owned and operated the Super 8 property from December 2019 until December 2021.The plaintiff's legal team believes the award could be the largest verdict of its kind. The decision also comes amid several other sex trafficking cases involving hotels in Georgia.$120 million awarded as punitive damagesOf the $164 million awarded, $120 million was imposed as punitive damages.