New Practice Group Targets Businesses That Benefit From Trafficking, Including Hotels and Motels
SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Woman-owned plaintiff’s employment and consumer class action firm Haeggquist & Eck has launched a dedicated practice group focused on helping survivors of human trafficking seek justice, rebuild their lives, and hold accountable commercial entities or other individuals who enabled or profited from their exploitation. Survivors can also sue their traffickers directly, though most choose not to due to safety concerns.
The practice group will be led by HAE founder and managing partner Alreen Haeggquist, along with Senior Associate Allison Gill Sanford. The firm will represent survivors in civil cases under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and bring any related claims, seeking compensation for the profound physical, emotional, and economic harm caused by trafficking.
The practice launches at a time when courts have increasingly recognized that trafficking rarely happens in isolation. The TVPA allows survivors to bring civil claims not only against individual traffickers if they choose, but also against anyone who benefited from the trafficking and either knew or should have known someone was being exploited. This means civil liability can extend to businesses and institutions like hotels and motels when they profit from – or turn a blind eye to – exploitation.
Right now, there are even more options to vindicate a survivor’s rights in civil court apart from the TVPA. In California, for example, survivors whose exploitation occurred years ago can bring older claims until the end of 2027 if their case meets certain factual criteria.
“These cases reflect a growing recognition that trafficking flourishes through the inaction of many, not just the abuse of one trafficker,” said Sanford. “Many survivors don’t realize they have civil legal rights, regardless of whether they ever reported their trafficker to law enforcement. While we can’t undo the trauma of the past, we can stand up with survivors in court, champion the truth, and get our clients real compensation that can fund anything from novel PTSD treatments to a college fund for their child – whatever the survivor chooses to invest in. Too many people made money off their exploitation while the survivor walked away with nothing, and it’s time to change that.”
“Trafficking survives in silence and in the systems that choose to ignore it and to look the other way,” said Haeggquist. “Civil litigation gives survivors a way to take back power: to expose what happened, to demand accountability, and to secure resources they need to heal and move forward. We are honored to do this important work to help provide survivors with the safety, dignity, and long-term stability they deserve to move their lives forward. Exploitation is not invisible, and the people and systems that allow it to happen can and will be held responsible.””
Founded in 2008, Haeggquist & Eck represents individuals in complex employment, discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, and civil rights cases. The firm is known for its trauma-informed legal model and its commitment to representing people in cases involving power imbalances, exploitation of women, systemic harm, and institutional accountability. To learn more, visit www.haelaw.com.
Aida Ramirez
Haeggquist & Eck, LLP
marketing@haelaw.com
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