The Authors

Coryne Leyendecker
Coryne Leyendecker Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers LLP
Coryne Leyendecker is an attorney practicing in Swift Currie’s litigation section, defending businesses and insurers against claims related to commercial litigation, sexual abuse, governmental liability, premises liability, automobile litigation and construction law.
Pamela Lee
Pamela LeeSwift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers LLP
Pamela N. Lee is a partner at Swift Currie with more than 15 years of experience practicing in the firm’s litigation section. Pamela devotes her entire practice to litigation, including various tort liability litigation, insurance coverage disputes and the defense of insurance bad faith matters. Her liability practice is wide and varied, encompassing premises liability, product liability, escalator and elevator liability, automobile liability and general personal injury law. She represents companies in the food, automobile and retail industries.
The Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation
Emerging Litigation Podcast
Emerging Litigation PodcastProduced by HB Litigation and Law Street Media
Interviews with leading attorneys and other subject matter experts on new twists in the law and how the law is responding to new twists in the world.

TVPRA, State Statutes Open Door for Civil Damage Claims by Human-Trafficking Victims

“A plethora of nonprofit organizations and government agencies have collectively produced hundreds of available resources on how to help prevent human trafficking. Overwhelmingly, groups across the board agree that bringing awareness to human trafficking is the most foundational method to stopping human trafficking. By implementing intentional training and internal policies, businesses can not only insulate themselves from third-party claims but they can be a force for good in the fight against human trafficking. “

Abstract: There is not a person alive with a soul that would believe sex trafficking and other variants of modern slavery is a good thing. The individuals that perpetrate those heinous acts should be punished accordingly. In 2003, Congress opened the door for human-trafficking victims to sue for civil damages under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPRA). Since then the TVPRA and similarly drafted state statutes have allowed for human-trafficking victims to seek civil damages against any party that has benefited from their trafficking. Given this expansive inclusion of third-party liability, more and more businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, are ultimately the ones left to pay for the criminal acts of human traffickers. This article discusses the evolving litigation around human-trafficking claims, beginning with a broad overview of human trafficking, followed by a discussion of the legal standard behind human-trafficking civil suits and recent guidance from U.S. courts on these types of claims. The article concludes with guidance of its own on how businesses can build a foundation for their own defense while simultaneously helping prevent human-trafficking crimes from ever occurring.

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