A settlement has been reached in the 2017 wrongful death lawsuit of Kenneka Jenkins, the teenage girl who was found in the walk-in freezer of a Chicago hotel.
According to Cook County court records, the settlement was reached in August; however, it has not been entered on the court docket as attorneys for Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, have requested that the terms of the agreement be sealed from the public.
RELATED: Family Seeks Answers After Woman Allegedly Died Of Alcohol Poisoning In Mexico
Additionally, on Tuesday (October 3), Circuit Judge Thomas Cushing denied the request but continued to ask Jenkins’ mother’s attorney to resubmit the request. In the meantime, a status hearing in the case has been scheduled for next week, with a trial set for October 16.
On September 10, 2017, 19-year-old Jenkins was found dead at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. Surveillance video footage showed her walking near the freezer. According to an autopsy report, she died of hypothermia inside the hotel’s walk-in freezer while attending a party at the location, with as many as 30 other people on the ninth floor.
RELATED: Shanquella Robinson Was Reportedly Still Alive When Paramedics Arrived: Doctor Spent 3 Hours Trying To Save Her And Said Her Friends Didn’t Want Her Treated At A Hospital
Following Jenkins’ death, her mother has been actively advocating for the terms of the settlement to remain confidential and sealed from the public eye. In Jenkins’ mother’s lawsuit, she is suing the hotel, its security company, and the restaurant that was potentially leasing the space where her daughter’s body was found.
The lawsuit asserts negligence on the part of the defendants, alleging that they all failed to secure the walk-in freezer adequately and conduct a proper search when Jenkins was first reported missing.
RELATED: Attorney Representing Shanquella Robinson’s Family Responds To U.S. Officials Not Pursuing Criminal Charges In The Case
According to the lawsuit, Kenneka Jenkins’ body was discovered about 24 hours after her family had contacted both the hotel and the police to report her being missing.
The moments leading up to Jenkins’ death were all caught on camera as hotel security footage captured the teenage girl leaving the room where a party she was attending had taken place. Cameras followed her as she wandered alone through the Chicago hotel, making her way to the kitchen area near the walk-in freezer she was found inside; and just as she made her way to the area, she walked out of frame.
Kenneka Jenkins’ death has raised several questions among friends and relatives about whether or not there was foul play. However, law enforcement officials have concluded that her death was an accident.
RELATED: Attorney For Shanquella Robinson’s Family Says FBI Is Refusing To Release Autopsy Report To Them: ‘The Family Is Deeply Disappointed’
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!
Source
