Settlement reached in Kenneka Jenkins wrongful death lawsuit filed after 2017 hotel freezer death, court records show

A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit filed in connection with the 2017 death of Kenneka Jenkins, the 19-year-old Chicago woman who died of hypothermia inside a Rosemont hotel’s walk-in freezer.

Cook County court records show the settlement was reached in August, though it has not been entered on the court docket as attorneys for Jenkins’ mother have asked that the terms of the agreement be sealed from the public.

On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Thomas Cushing denied the attempt, but asked that Jenkins’ mother’s attorney resubmit the request. A status hearing in the case is scheduled for next week, and a trial was set for Oct. 16, court records show.

In asking to keep the settlement sealed, attorneys for Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, argued that Jenkins’ family’s safety and privacy trumped any reason to require that the records be publicly filed.

“The widespread publicity of this case, including uncontrolled speculation and social media commentary has resulted in various threats made against various individuals in the case including, but not limited to, Petitioner, witnesses, and Defendants in this matter,” an attorney for Jenkins’ mother wrote in an unopposed motion to seal the settlement terms.

“Due to public interest, and scrutiny, all parties are in agreement that the confidential terms, including settlement amounts, are in the best interest of all parties involved including the Petitioner and the Defendants.”

An attorney for Jenkins’ mother did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Jenkins died of hypothermia inside a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, and the Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled her death an accident.

Alcohol intoxication and the use of a drug for treating epilepsy and migraines were “significant contributing factors,” the office said.

The 19-year old was found inside the freezer on Sept. 10, 2017, after she disappeared from a room at the Crowne Plaza. She had attended a party with as many as 30 other people on the ninth floor and wasn’t found until nearly 24 hours after her disappearance, after repeated pleas to the hotel and police by the family.

Surveillance videos released by police days later show Jenkins, alone, wandering through a kitchen area near the freezer not long after she disappeared.

The release of the footage did nothing to quell speculation around Jenkins’ death, and scores of speculative videos and true crime podcast episodes with thousands of views remain on YouTube. Beyond the internet sleuthing, Jenkins’ death spawned days of protests outside the hotel.

Jenkins’ mother initially filed a lawsuit in late 2017, but court records show she moved to dismiss that complaint after she changed lawyers.

Her current lawyers filed the now-settled negligence lawsuit in 2018 against the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s parent company, the hotel’s security company and a restaurant that had rented the freezer in which Jenkins’ was ultimately found. The lawsuit initially sought more than $50 million in damages.