Kenneka Jenkins’ estate reached a settlement with Crowne Plaza O’Hare Hotel six years after her hypothermia death in the hotel’s walk-in freezer in September 2017.
Video footage captured the young woman, who was supposed to be attending a party, wandering into a private section that should not have been easily accessed by guests.
Tereasa Martin, the young woman’s mother, filed a lawsuit in December 2018 against the hotel, its security firm, and the restaurant that rented the freezer at the site in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. She was joined by two other parties in the lawsuit, and they reportedly settled as well, according to Cook County records.
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Martin’s complaint alleged negligence on their part, asserting that they failed to adequately secure the freezer and conduct a proper search when the 19-year-old was reported missing. According to the lawsuit, Jenkins’ body was found on Sept. 10, 2017, about 24 hours after her family had alerted both the hotel and the police about her disappearance.
The lawsuit was filed for $50 million in damages. A settlement in Jenkins’ case was reached in August but hasn’t been entered in court records due to Martin’s request for confidentiality.
The mother, her attorneys, and the other two plaintiffs in the case cited privacy and safety concerns as the reasons they didn’t want the agreement to be made public. Martin believed that their privacy was more important than making the information public.
“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,” one of Martin’s lawyers wrote, according to the Associated Press.
“Due to public interest and scrutiny, all parties agree that the confidential terms, including settlement amounts, are in…
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