Institutional Accountability · Survivors
California Sex Trafficking Survivor Claims Attorney
Civil claims for survivors of sex trafficking — including claims against the hotels, businesses, and platforms that facilitated or profited from the trafficking.
Survivors can hold the businesses that profited accountable — not just the traffickers.
Please read first: this page is kept online for general information. The Law Offices of David L. Milligan, APC is not accepting new sex-trafficking survivor matters. If you need a lawyer for a matter like this, please contact the State Bar of California’s Lawyer Referral Services at (866) 442-2529 — they will connect you with an attorney who handles these cases. Please do that now rather than waiting to hear from this office. Legal deadlines apply and can be short; delay can forfeit rights.
Two powerful civil statutes
Federal law gives trafficking survivors a civil claim against not only the perpetrator but anyone who knowingly benefited from participation in a venture they knew or should have known involved trafficking (18 U.S.C. § 1595, the TVPRA). California adds its own civil action with compensatory and punitive damages and attorney's fees (Civil Code § 52.5). Together they reach the businesses that looked away while profiting.
Hotel and business liability
Trafficking does not happen in a vacuum. It happens in rooms rented night after night, with cash payments, persistent foot traffic, and staff who saw the signs. Hotels and motels, and in qualifying cases other businesses and online platforms, face civil exposure where the evidence shows they knew or should have known and benefited anyway.
Survivor-centered, strictly confidential
Consultations with a lawyer are confidential. These cases call for trauma-informed counsel who move at the survivor's pace and protect the survivor's identity. Civil claims can often proceed with protective measures, and a criminal conviction of the trafficker is not required to bring a civil case.
Time limits
Limitations periods for trafficking claims are longer than for ordinary injuries and may be tolled — federal TVPRA claims generally carry a 10-year period, and California provides extended and tolled periods for trafficking and abuse claims. Whether a specific claim remains timely depends on the facts; a lawyer's review answers it.
This Firm Is Not Accepting These Cases — Referral Information
The State Bar of California’s Lawyer Referral Services can connect you with an attorney who handles these matters.
Related Case Types
Important: This page is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This firm is not accepting new matters of this kind and cannot review inquiries about them; contacting the firm about this subject does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Statutory citations are illustrative; the legal framework applicable to a specific case depends on the facts. The Law Offices of David L. Milligan, APC is licensed in California.