Motel 6, MALDEF To Get Initial Green Light On Lawsuit Settlement

Published: Saturday, July 20, 2019 - 8:16pm
Updated: Monday, July 22, 2019 - 11:04am
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Matthew Casey/KJZZ
Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

A federal judge has signaled he’ll give the initial go-ahead on a reworked multimillion-dollar lawsuit settlement between a Latino civil rights group and Motel 6, but first the sides have to clarify parts of their deal.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a class-action lawsuit against Motel 6 in 2018 for allegedly sharing guest information with immigration authorities.

The sides left a Friday afternoon court hearing with a road map for carrying out the revamped settlement.

One big task is finding former Motel 6 guests who are eligible to receive part of a $10 million settlement pot. Some people may be in other countries, said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF. 

“We will be working with organizations, and folks from the government -- for example, the Mexican consulates -- to reach out to folks wherever they may be,” he said.

Senior Judge David G. Campbell will weigh final approval of the settlement in February.

Lawyers for Motel 6 declined an interview.

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