The family of Kenneka Jenkins will receive a $6.4 million settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed in 2018.
RELATED STORIES: Settlement Reached In 2017 Wrongful Death Lawsuit Of Kenneka Jenkins, Who Was Found In Chicago Hotel Freezer
The agreement was made on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by Jenkins’s mother, Tereasa Martin. According to Law & Crime, the filing named the hotel owner and operator, CPO Hospitality LLC, its security staff, and the restaurant operating the kitchen. On September 9, 2017, Jenkins checked into the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont to attend a party around 1:13 a.m. The 19-year-old was last seen alive leaving from a room on the ninth floor at 2:30 a.m., and hotel management reportedly received complaints that the room where the party occurred had too many people, the smoke detector had been tampered with, and there were “strong intoxicants” emerging from the room.
However, they did not investigate and were aware that Jenkins had left the room but failed to review the security footage. Jenkins was seen entering the kitchen through an employee door around 3:32 a.m. The lawsuit states employees would’ve been able to find her if they had checked the footage as she was also visibly disoriented and needed assistance. Nineteen hours after Jenkins entered the freezer, an employee was in the same freezer around 10:30 p.m. but said they didn’t see her. Two hours later, Jenkins was found unresponsive, and the recorded temperature of the freezer was 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Her death was ruled an accident, and a medical examiner said alcohol intoxication along with a drug used to treat epilepsy and migraines.
Kenneka’s death sparked outrage and controversy, with many unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance and final moments. Her family and supporters raised concerns about potential negligence on the part of the hotel staff and law enforcement, and the incident fueled conversations about racial bias and the vulnerability of young Black women.
