DALLAS, Texas — A woman who was trafficked at a Dallas hotel when she was 16 is suing the establishment and its parent company, saying that staff ignored red flags and failed to intervene to stop the crime.
The lawsuit, filed at the end of last year, claims the woman was brought to the Hawthorn Suites near Love Field off of Bookriver Drive in 2020 by Chris Owens, who exploited her and at least two other victims daily for month.
According to her attorney, the woman was lured to visit Owens in Dallas, and their relationship evolved quickly.
“My client had met a guy online, and they began chatting,” said the woman’s attorney, Zeke Fortenberry. “Next thing she knew, she was being prostituted out of a room for about four weeks on a daily basis.”
According to the lawsuit, the woman’s photos were posted on websites, and she was repeatedly sold for sex and assaulted.
Her situation ended when an undercover Dallas officer, posing as a customer, arrested Owens.
Owens was later caught trying to recruit another victim — an undercover federal agent — while out on bond. He is now serving an 11-year federal prison sentence.
Fortenberry argues the hotel’s staff should have reported signs of trafficking.
“She’s a young girl with an older man,” he said. “She shows up with no luggage. He pays cash for their rooms for multiple nights…Those are the types of things that they are supposed to be trained to look for, and they just didn’t.”
The lawsuit points out online reviews suggesting patrons had noticed prostitution at the hotel. In spite of these claims, Wyndham Hotels, the hotel’s parent company, has denied any wrongdoing, stating in court that the alleged acts were committed by a third party. The company has asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
