A Chicago woman died in a hotel freezer in 2017. Now her mother has reached a settlement

In 2017, a tragic incident unfolded when a young woman from Chicago, aged 19, met her untimely demise inside a freezer at a suburban hotel where she had been attending a party. Recently, there has been a development in the legal proceedings surrounding this unfortunate event, as the mother of the deceased, Kenneka Jenkins, has come to a settlement in her lawsuit against the hotel and other parties involved.

According to Cook County court records, this settlement was reached in August; however, it has yet to be officially documented on the court docket. This delay arises from the fact that attorneys representing Kenneka Jenkins’ mother have sought to keep the terms of the settlement confidential, shielding them from public view. The Chicago Tribune reported that a judge, while acknowledging this request, denied it on Tuesday and requested the mother’s attorney to resubmit the request. A status hearing for this case is scheduled for the upcoming week, and it’s worth noting that a trial had originally been set to commence on October 16, as indicated in court records.

The legal representatives of Tereasa Martin, Kenneka Jenkins’ mother, argued that the safety and privacy of the family outweighed any rationale for making the settlement details public. They pointed out that the extensive media coverage of this case, coupled with unfettered speculations and commentary on social media, had led to various threats against individuals involved in the case, including Martin, witnesses, and the defendants.

The lawsuit was initially filed in December 2018 and targeted the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, its security company, and a restaurant that had rented the walk-in freezer where Kenneka Jenkins tragically lost her life. The lawsuit contended that the defendants displayed negligence by failing to secure the freezer adequately and neglecting to conduct a proper search following Jenkins’ disappearance. Initially, the suit sought damages exceeding $50 million.

On September 10, 2017, Kenneka Jenkins was discovered deceased inside the freezer, nearly 24 hours after she had gone missing from a ninth-floor room at the Crowne Plaza, where she had been attending a party attended by as many as 30 other individuals. The Cook County medical examiner’s office determined that her cause of death was hypothermia and classified it as an accident. The office also noted that alcohol intoxication and the use of a medication for epilepsy and migraines were significant contributing factors in her tragic passing. Surveillance footage, released by the police shortly after her disappearance, showed Jenkins wandering alone through a kitchen area near the freezer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hotel Freezer Death Settlement

More about Hotel Freezer Death Settlement

• Chicago Tribune – “Mother of woman found dead in hotel freezer reaches settlement in lawsuit”
• Background on Kenneka Jenkins’ Case
• Legal Details of the Lawsuit
• Cook County Medical Examiner’s Findings