G.W. v. Northbrook Industries, Inc.

── G.W. v. Northbrook Industries, Inc. ── Case No.: 25-10829 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: March 30, 2026 Category: CON USCA11 Case: 24-13294 Document: 69-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 1 of 35 FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 25-10816 ____________________ A.G., Plaintiff-Appellant, versus NORTHBROOK INDUSTRIES, INC., d.b.a. United Inn and Suites, Defendant-Appellee. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia D.C. Docket No. 1:20-cv-05231-JPB ____________________ ____________________ No. 25-10829 ____________________ G.W., Plaintiff-Appellant, USCA11 Case: 24-13294 Document: 69-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 2 of 35 2 Opinion of the Court 25-10816 versus NORTHBROOK INDUSTRIES, INC., d.b.a. United Inn and Suites, Defendant-Appellee. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia D.C. Docket No. 1:20-cv-05232-JPB ____________________ ____________________ No. 24-13294 ____________________ C.B., Plaintiff-Appellant, versus NASEEB INVESTMENTS, INC., d.b.a. The Hilltop Inn, a.k.a. Econolodge, Defendant-Appellee. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia D.C. Docket No. 1:20-cv-04213-AT ____________________ USCA11 Case: 24-13294 Document: 69-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 3 of 35 25-10816 Opinion of the Court 3 Before WILLIAM PRYOR, Chief Judge, ABUDU, Circuit Judge, and CONWAY,* District Judge. ANNE C. CONWAY, District Judge: In these consolidated appeals, we clarify what is required for a civil beneficiary claim under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”), 18 U.S.C. § 1595(a). Two minor females, A.G. and G.W., were sex trafficked through several hotels in Atlanta, Georgia, but their traffickers returned to only one hotel three times: United Inn and Suites (“United Inn”). United Inn is owned and operated by Appellee Northbrook Industries, Inc. (“Northbrook”).1 A.G. and G.W.’s traffickers spent fifteen to twenty minutes each day at United Inn conversing with the front desk staff. When A.G. and G.W. were locked out of their traffick- ers’ hotel room, one of their traffickers persuaded an employee over the phone to readmit A.G. and G.W. to the room even though they did not produce any identification, and their names were not on the reservation. Another minor female, C.B., was sex trafficked by Timothy Chappell (“Chappell”), a registered sex offender, at The Hilltop Inn (“Hilltop Inn