Hotel Chain Pays $12 Million to Resolve Privacy Violations

Motel 6 settled claims with the Washington State Attorney General for $12 million to resolve charges that Motel 6 violated the Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination. The lawsuit stems from a January 2018 lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson alleging that Motel 6 provided guests’ private information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a warrant over a period of two years. The consent decree explicitly forbids Motel 6 from giving out guest information without a warrant or other lawful basis at every Motel 6 location in the United States. Specifically, the consent decree requires Motel 6 to properly train employees on how to handle and protect the personal information of guests. Motel 6 also agreed to seek approval of any policy or procedure from the Attorney General’s Office as well as provide compliance records and reports to the Office for the next three years.

Read the press release and consent decree >>

Read more in the full April issue of the Privacy and Data Security Client Alert.