Sex Trafficking and Crimes
Alabama Sex Trafficking & Sex Crimes
Alabama survivors of sex trafficking and sex crimes can use both state and federal civil remedies to pursue justice against traffickers, abusers, and, in some cases, the businesses that enabled the abuse.
Alabama Sex Trafficking – State and Federal Civil Remedies
Alabama's human trafficking laws, including Ala. Code §§ 13A-6-152 and 13A-6-153, make it a felony to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, or obtain a person for sexual servitude, and they allow corporations and other entities to be prosecuted when their agents traffic victims in the scope of employment for the company's benefit. Ala. Code § 13A-6-157 then gives trafficking victims a direct civil cause of action in Alabama courts, authorizing actual and compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, attorneys' fees, and, in some cases, treble damages when the defendant's conduct was willful and malicious.
On top of Alabama law, survivors can also use the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act's ("TVPRA") civil remedy at 18 U.S.C. § 1595, which allows lawsuits in federal court against traffickers and anyone who "knowingly benefits" financially or otherwise from participating in a trafficking venture that they knew or should have known involved trafficking. Hotels, motels, and other businesses can face federal TVPRA liability where they rent rooms or provide services to traffickers, profit from that relationship, and ignore obvious red flags that someone is being exploited.
If you or a loved one were trafficked in Alabama—whether in a private home, along the interstate, or in a hotel or business—call Baskin Legal to discuss the full range of state and federal civil remedies available.
Alabama Sex Crimes – Rape and Sexual Abuse
In Alabama, rape and sexual abuse are handled in criminal court by prosecutors, but the criminal case does not fully address a survivor's personal losses. Survivors can file a separate civil lawsuit against their abuser—and in some cases against employers, schools, churches, or other institutions that allowed the abuse to occur—to seek compensation for medical bills, counseling, lost wages, and the profound emotional harm caused by the assault.
Civil claims are independent of the criminal prosecution and can move forward even if no charges are filed or the defendant is found not guilty, and in trafficking-related cases, federal laws such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and related restitution statutes provide additional avenues for justice and recovery.
If you or someone you love has survived a sex crime or trafficking in Alabama, call Baskin Legal to discuss your civil rights under both Alabama and federal law and how to hold wrongdoers fully accountable.
Florida Sex Trafficking & Sex Crimes
Florida Sex Trafficking – Federal and State Law
Under federal law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) makes it illegal to recruit, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain a person for commercial sex, and it creates a civil remedy at 18 U.S.C. § 1595 allowing survivors to sue anyone who knowingly benefits financially from participation in a sex-trafficking venture, including hotels, motels, and other businesses. Florida's counterpart, § 787.06, criminalizes human trafficking and expressly covers not only traffickers, but also those who "benefit financially" by receiving anything of value from participation in a trafficking venture.
Florida Civil Lawsuits Against Hotels and Third Parties
Florida Statute § 787.061 gives trafficking victims a civil cause of action against traffickers and "facilitators," allowing lawsuits for money damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees. Courts and practitioners use this statute, together with the federal TVPRA, to pursue claims against hotels, motels, landlords, clubs, and other businesses that knew or should have known trafficking was occurring on their property but continued to profit anyway.
Florida Trafficking (Civil)
Sex trafficking is both a federal crime and a serious civil wrong. Under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and 18 U.S.C. § 1595, survivors can sue not only traffickers, but also hotels, motels, landlords, and other businesses that knowingly benefit from a trafficking venture. Florida's human trafficking statutes, including §§ 787.06 and 787.061, go further by creating a specific state civil cause of action against traffickers and "facilitators," allowing survivors to seek compensation and punitive damages from companies that looked the other way while exploitation occurred on their property.
If you or a loved one were trafficked in or through a Florida hotel, motel, rental property, or business, call Baskin Legal to discuss your legal options and how civil claims can help hold every responsible party accountable.
Florida Sex Crimes – Civil Lawsuit in Addition to Criminal Case
In Florida, rape and sexual assault are prosecuted under the criminal offense of sexual battery, but the criminal system is only part of the path to justice. Victims also have the right to bring a separate civil lawsuit against their attacker and any enabling institution. A civil case can pursue damages for medical bills, therapy, lost income, and pain and suffering, and it can succeed even if prosecutors never file charges or the criminal case results in a not-guilty verdict, because the civil burden of proof is lower.
If you or someone you love has survived rape or sexual assault in Florida, call Baskin Legal to discuss your civil rights, your options, and the steps that can be taken to hold wrongdoers fully accountable.
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