The protracted legal battle over the tragic death of Kenneka Jenkins, a 19-year-old woman found frozen in a hotel freezer in 2017, has culminated in a $6.4 million settlement for her family, according to court documents released Tuesday, per the Chicago Tribune. Jenkins' body was discovered in a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel after she reportedly attended a private party in one of the hotel's rooms.
In an extensive lawsuit that pointed fingers at the hotel's parent company, security firm, and restaurant for alleged negligence, Jenkins' relatives accused them of failing to secure the freezer or perform a sufficient search when she went missing; the lawsuit originally sought more than $50 million in damages, but the settlement was reached in October., the terms of which were sealed until now, the Chicago Tribune reported. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office had earlier declared Jenkins' death accidental, citing hypothermia with contributing factors of alcohol and topiramate, an epilepsy and migraine medication found in her system, CBS Chicago details.
The settlement, which will be split among Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin, and two other relatives, put an end to a case that sparked widespread protests, conspiracy theories, and a storm of online debate over the circumstances of the young woman's demise. Martin will receive the lion's share of over $3.7 million, while Jenkins' half-sister Leonore Harris and brother Kenneth Lee Jenkins will be awarded $1.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively; not before more than $3.5 million of the total settlement goes toward attorney fees and $6,000 covers funeral costs, as revealed in the court records.
Martin's lawsuit also claimed that the hotel and associated parties neglected the proper monitoring of security cameras, which could have notified them of Jenkins' location before her death. Despite the settlement, the debate surrounding Jenkins' death has persisted, especially after Rosemont police interviews with 44 people and the release of a timeline based on surveillance footage from Jenkins' final hours unveiling the credit card used for the hotel room linked to a gang, as per CBS Chicago’s report. The full details of the settlement can be found in Chicago Tribune and CBS Chicago.
