We successfully defended a motel employee who was investigated by the police for allowing male and female minors to share a room. The employee was referred to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment on charges of violating the Youth Protection Act by engaging in business activities considered to be morally inappropriate.

In defending the employee, we argued that there was neither knowledge nor intent to permit male and female minors to stay in the same room. In support of this position, we highlighted the following circumstances: the employee was elderly and had only recently started working at the motel; the minors intentionally entered the motel while the employee was focused on front desk accounting; two male minors appeared significantly older than their actual age and deliberately concealed a female minor while paying for only two guests; and none of the minors left the room during their three-night, four-day stay. To support these claims, we submitted interior photographs of the motel, CCTV footages from the time of the minors’ check-in, and precedent lower court cases in which defendants were acquitted under similar circumstances.

In this regard, the prosecution decided not to indict the employee, accepting our arguments and concluding that there was insufficient basis to believe the employee was aware that the male and female minors were staying in the same room.