You Stayed at a Motel 6 in Washington. Then Federal Agents Knew Your Name, Your License Plate, and Your Room Number — and You Never Said a Word to Them.
Maybe you checked in for one night after a long drive. Maybe you stayed a week while working a job. Maybe you were traveling with family, or fleeing a dangerous situation of your own. You handed over your ID at the front desk, got your key, and went to bed. The next thing you knew, an immigration agent was calling your name — and they had details about you that only the motel should have known. Names. Birthdates. Driver’s license numbers. License-plate digits. The room you slept in.
You did not sign a release. You were not served a subpoena. No judge reviewed whether the government had probable cause to collect your information. The motel simply gave it to them.
If that is your story — or if you are the family member of someone who was detained, deported, or separated from their children after a Motel 6 stay in Washington — you have rights that the State of Washington has already said were violated. The State sued. Now we want to talk to you.
This page is the full picture of the Washington Attorney General’s lawsuit against Motel 6 and its parent, what it means for you, what Washington law actually gives you, what your case could be worth, what the motel is doing to defend itself, what evidence is disappearing while you read this, and how the privacy and consumer-fraud law of this state combines into one of the most powerful civil-rights tools in the country.
If you are in a hurry, the call is free, the consultation is confidential, and you do not pay us anything unless we recover for you. 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). Hablamos Español.
What Washington Law Actually Says About Your Information
Washington is one of the most privacy-protective states in the country. Two pillars matter here, and together they are the spine of every claim we can bring on your behalf.
The State Constitutional Right to Privacy — Broader Than the Federal Fourth Amendment
Article I, Section 7 of the Washington State Constitution reads: “No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law.”
That single sentence is broader than the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Washington Supreme Court has read it to protect Washington residents — and the people staying in hotels within the state — from government intrusions that the federal floor would tolerate. The State’s lawsuit is built on the premise that the motel acted as the eyes and ears of a federal agency, providing the raw material for an intrusion that the Washington Constitution would not have permitted had ICE come to the door itself.
The Washington Consumer Protection Act — With Treble Damages and Attorney Fees
The Consumer Protection Act, codified at RCW 19.86, is the State’s flagship anti-fraud statute. It prohibits unfair or deceptive acts in trade or commerce. It is read broadly to protect consumers, and it provides for:
- Actual damages sustained by the consumer;
- Treble damages — up to $25,000 per violation — where the court finds the conduct was willful or knowing;
- Reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing consumer.
The State of Washington alleged in its lawsuit that handing a guest’s private information to federal agents without legal process, when the motel had promised — explicitly and implicitly — to keep that information confidential, was an unfair or deceptive practice. The statute of limitations on a CPA claim is generally four years — meaning the window for many affected guests is still open, depending on when the violation occurred. For a personal-injury or invasion-of-privacy claim, Washington’s general statute of limitations is three years.
We will dig into the exact deadlines that apply to your situation when you call, because the clock on the right you have to sue can run in different directions depending on the theory we bring.
Who We Are Suing — and Why the Parent Company Is the Right Target
One of the most important things we do at the start of any case like this is figure out who actually sits behind the brand on the sign. The motel industry is built on layers of corporate separation, and the layer that owns the brand is rarely the layer that empties the cash register when a jury sends a message.
G6 Hospitality, the Operating Parent
G6 Hospitality, LLC is the parent company that operates the Motel 6 brand in the United States. As of the events in this case, G6 Hospitality was owned by The Blackstone Group, a global private-equity firm with enormous financial resources and a famously complex corporate structure. Blackstone’s ownership of G6 Hospitality means the parent had both the resources to set policy and the resources to enforce it — and the parent was named in the State of Washington’s lawsuit precisely because the State wanted to hold the entity with the actual operational authority responsible for what the front-desk employees were doing.
The Franchisees — Where the Shell Game Lives
Many Motel 6 properties in Washington and across the country are not owned by G6 Hospitality at all. They are independently owned and operated by franchisees who license the brand. The State’s lawsuit focused on the corporate-owned properties in the Puget Sound region, but the State opened an investigation into at least 15 franchised properties as well. If your information was shared by a franchised Motel 6, that franchisee is a separate potential defendant — and we will pursue the franchisee and any contractual indemnity or insurance obligations that flow up to the brand.
The Coverage Reality
A national lodging brand carries layered insurance: a primary commercial general liability tower, an umbrella or excess layer, and often a separate media or privacy rider. The company that paid to settle the State’s case is not the same as the company that would pay to settle yours — but the insurance money is real, and it sits behind the brand, the operating company, and the franchisee. We will pursue every layer.
What Your Case Could Be Worth
We do not promise outcomes. We build the value of a case from the facts and the law, and we will tell you what we see in your specific situation. Here is the honest range.
For guests whose information was shared with ICE but who were not subsequently detained, the value sits in the lower privacy-breach range, generally starting in the $50,000 area. The CPA’s treble-damages provision, if the conduct is found to be willful or knowing, can push even a smaller case into a meaningful recovery — the $25,000 per-violation multiplier applies to each act of disclosure.
For the guests who were actually detained or deported on the basis of the motel’s voluntary disclosure, the value escalates dramatically — into the seven-figure range. These are catastrophic cases. The harm includes loss of liberty, loss of income, separation from family, fear, humiliation, and the long shadow that follows someone who has been taken into immigration custody. A King County jury deciding what a single wrongful detention caused is making a statement about what the Constitution of this state protects, and Washington juries are protective of those rights.
The actual recovery depends on the specific facts, the proof we are able to preserve, the venue, and the theory we bring. But the range of the cases in this docket — in light of the State’s own success and the willfulness the company eventually admitted by ending the practice — is in the $50,000 to $1,500,000+ range per case.
Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes.
The Playbook the Defense Will Use Against You
When the insurance carrier, the corporate counsel, and the third-party administrator start running this case, they will run a predictable playbook. We have seen this playbook many times. Here is what to expect, in order, and here is how we counter it.
Play #1: The “We Did Nothing Wrong” Denial
The first response is almost always a written denial, sometimes from the motel brand, sometimes from the franchisee, sometimes from the insurance carrier. The denial will be confident, sometimes technical, sometimes sympathetic. It will tell you that the motel was cooperating with federal law enforcement, that ICE has a right to information, that the motel had no choice. None of this is true. A hotel has every right to refuse a voluntary request from a federal agency, and the law expects it to. A hotel that hands over guest information without legal process has broken the law. Our counter: we file suit. We do not negotiate against a denial.
Play #2: The “You’re Not Really Harmed” Argument
The defense will try to characterize the harm as trivial. You were not detained. You were not deported. You were not separated from your family. You went home. The information was shared, sure, but what really happened to you? The answer, in a CPA case, is that the statute is designed to protect consumers from unfair practices, and the harm includes the violation of privacy itself, the emotional distress, the fear, the chilling effect on your willingness to stay in any hotel again. The answer, in a constitutional case, is that the Washington Constitution protects the right to be let alone in your private affairs. The answer, in a real case, is that the defense cannot tell you what the harm of being detained was. We are ready to put on the proof.
Play #3: The “Let’s Settle Cheap and Quick” Offer
You may receive a quick offer — sometimes before suit is even filed — to settle for a small amount and a confidentiality agreement. The amount will be calibrated to look generous against nothing and stingy against a real case. The confidentiality clause will be designed to silence you and prevent other similarly situated guests from finding out they have the same claim. Our counter: we never recommend accepting a quick offer before we have completed the investigation, the preservation, and the value assessment. We will tell you whether an offer is fair. We will never let the defense use your silence as a tool against other people in your situation.
Play #4: The Delay
Delay is the most powerful weapon the defense has. Every month the case is not filed, the evidence is aging, the witnesses are losing memory, the records are being purged under routine retention. Our counter: we file suit and we move. We are not in the business of letting the defense run out the clock on your proof.
Play #5: The Forum Fight
The defense will try to move the case to a different court, often federal court, sometimes a different county. This is a procedural maneuver to slow the case down or to put it in front of a less favorable jury. Our counter: Washington law gives you the right to bring your case in the county where the harm occurred. We will fight for that right and we will explain to you why it matters.
Who You Will Be Working With
When you call our firm, you are not routed to a call center. You are talking to the people who will do the work.
Ralph P. Manginello is the Managing Partner of The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, which operates as Attorney911. He has been licensed in Texas since November 6, 1998, more than twenty-seven years, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ralph earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston in 1998 and his B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin. Before he was a lawyer, he was a journalist, and the habits he brought into the courtroom — verify everything, distrust the press release, write down what actually happened — are the same habits he brings to a case file today. He is fluent in Spanish. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, and the Trial Lawyers Achievement Association, and he has been recognized as a Million Dollar Member of the trial bar. He was born in 1971 in New York, grew up in the Memorial area of Houston, attended the Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, and is a member of the Italian-American legal community. He is also a member of the National Association of Italian Lawyers. He is a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston volunteer, has produced more than 290 educational videos for the public, and has represented families and individuals across the country through pro bono and contingency-fee work.
Lupe Peña is an Associate Attorney with the firm. Lupe has been licensed in Texas since December 6, 2012, more than thirteen years, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Lupe earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston in May 2012 and his B.B.A. in International Business from Saint Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2005. He is fluent in Spanish and conducts full client consultations in Spanish without an interpreter. Before he joined the firm on the plaintiffs’ side, Lupe spent years as an insurance-defense attorney at a national defense firm. He knows, from the inside, exactly how the other side values a case, sets a reserve, picks an Independent Medical Examination doctor, and uses surveillance and delay tactics to push a claimant down. He is a third-generation Texan with family roots to the King Ranch, was born and raised in Sugar Land, and lives there today. The advantage he brings to a case like yours is that he can read the defense’s playbook before the defense plays it.
The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, has been in business since July 18, 2001, more than twenty-four years. Our firm has recovered more than $50 million for clients across the firm’s practice areas. We take cases on contingency: 33.33% before trial, 40% if the case goes to trial. You do not pay us anything unless we win. Free consultation, 24/7 live staff — not an answering service. Hablamos Español. The call is 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).
If you want to read more about our work or our practice areas, visit our firm’s home page or contact us directly. You can also read about Ralph’s background and Lupe’s background.
Why You Should Call Us Today — Not Next Week
Every week you wait, three things happen. The Motel 6 surveillance video that would have proven the disclosure is overwritten. The key-card and folio data that would have proven you were a guest is purged under the property’s normal retention. The memories of the front-desk clerk and the ICE agent fade. None of those clocks pause for you to feel ready to make the call.
The State’s own lawsuit established that the motel was wrong. The motel itself admitted that the practice was wrong by stopping it. The case for you — whether you were detained, whether you were deported, whether you were simply a guest whose information was shared and who has spent the years since then wondering whether you were ever safe in that room — is real. The Washington Consumer Protection Act is one of the strongest consumer-protection statutes in the country. The treble-damages provision is real. The attorneys’-fees provision is real. The privacy protection of the Washington Constitution is real. We use them together, because that is what this case requires.
You do not pay us unless we win. The call is free. The consultation is confidential. We have a 24/7 live staff — not an answering service. We have a track record of more than $50 million in recoveries. We have a managing partner with twenty-seven years of courtroom experience and a journalist’s instinct for the truth, and we have an associate who used to sit on the other side of the table and who now uses that knowledge for the people the other side was counting on giving up.
If you have been waiting for someone to take your call and tell you that the law is on your side — this is that call.
1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).
Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes.
Hablamos Español.
