MotelCan hotels be held liable for sex trafficking on their premises? A spate of new lawsuits is testing the theory.

In the past week, hospitality providers including Wyndham, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Inter-Continental, Best Western, Red Lion, La Quinta and Choice have been hit with half a dozen heart-wrenching lawsuits by victims of sex trafficking, who say that the hotels knew—or should have known—what was happening under their roofs.