Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Karen Morris sitting on a hotel luggage cart

Karen Morris is a lawyer, municipal judge and Distinguished Professor at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., where she teaches hospitality law. Contact her at [email protected]

Stories by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Beware! Do sex traffickers lurk at your hotel?

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Friday, January 3, 2020

Hotels whose employees knew or should have known that trafficking was occurring at their property can be sued.

When it comes to lawsuits, focus on the facts

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

When under oath, hoteliers should make sure they—and especially whoever they are facing in court—stick to the truth.

Hotel security requires vigilant attention

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Monday, August 19, 2019

Hotels with a history of crime can face legal consequences when they fail to protect guests from foreseeable harm.

A peek at a sub-par PIP performance

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Monday, July 8, 2019

When a hotel fails to make contractually agreed-upon changes, it opens itself up to legal consequences. Here’s one example of what can happen.

Take great care in hotel entrance area—or you’ll pay

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

With cars, bicyclists and pedestrians coming and going through a hotel’s entrance area, there are plenty of opportunities for accidents—and lawsuits.

Why intent is the basis behind compensatory vs. punitive damages

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Friday, December 21, 2018

Hotel bathrooms are fraught with accidents, but how a hotel handles issues before a guest's stay can be a factor in future litigation.

Hoteliers: Ignore complaints at your own risk

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Monday, October 22, 2018

In the two following cases, lawsuits could have been avoided if the hotel operators in question knew and understood the law.

Don't let shoddy maintenance scuttle an insurance claim

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Successfully filing an insurance claim is difficult by design, so don't make it more difficult by missing important details.

Guest safety is every employee’s problem

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Hotel employees aren't mind readers, but often issues are sufficiently foreseeable to create a legal duty requiring the hotel to protect guests from harm.

Base layoffs on legitimate business needs

by Karen Morris, Monroe Community College

Friday, November 3, 2017

Sometimes a need to slash employee numbers isn't enough to justify downsizing in the eyes of the law.