The family of Kenneka Jenkins reached a $10 million wrongful death settlement in 2023 with the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel, its security contractor, and the operator of the Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant that leased the kitchen where she died. Her mother, Tereasa Martin, received roughly $3.7 million of the total. The Kenneka Jenkins settlement was finalized in August 2023, weeks before a trial was set to begin, and its terms became public in December of that year after a judge refused to seal them.1Chicago Sun-Times. Family of Kenneka Jenkins Receives $6M in Wrongful Death Settlement
How the $10 Million Was Divided
Court records unsealed in mid-December 2023 laid out the distribution:
- Tereasa Martin: approximately $3.7 million
- Two other family members: $1.5 million and $1.2 million
- Attorney fees and costs: approximately $3.5 million
- Funeral expenses: more than $6,000
The records did not show how much each defendant contributed to the pot.2NBC News. Family of Teenager Who Froze to Death in Hotel Freezer Agrees to $10 Million Settlement
Who Was Sued and Why
Martin, represented by Geoffrey Fieger of Fieger Law and the Beam Legal Team, filed the operative complaint in Cook County Circuit Court in December 2018, seeking more than $50 million. The case was captioned Teresa Martin v. CPO Hospitality LLC et al., Case No. 2018L013273.3Hotel News Resource. Teresa Martin v. CPO Hospitality LLC et al. The defendants were CPO Hospitality LLC and F&F Realty Ltd., which owned and operated the hotel; Capital Security, the hotel’s security provider; and MBC Rosemont LLC, which operated the Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant that leased the kitchen containing the walk-in freezer.4Chicago Tribune. Settlement Reached in Kenneka Jenkins Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The complaint alleged the defendants failed to secure the walk-in freezer in an under-construction section of the hotel, failed to conduct a proper search after Jenkins was reported missing, and failed to review surveillance footage in a timely manner. Martin’s lawyers argued that cameras captured Jenkins in an “obviously disoriented state” and that staff who saw her did not stop her from wandering into the closed kitchen.5NPR. Freezer Death Family Settlement Chicago The suit also raised the possibility that someone inadvertently secured the freezer door from the outside while she was still inside.6ABC 30. Attorneys Claim Someone Locked Kenneka Jenkins in Hotel Freezer
At a December 2018 press conference, Fieger said, “I suspect at some point that they secured those doors with her inside, but I don’t know for sure. But I’m going to find out.” Hotel spokesperson Glenn Harston called the suit “frivolous” and said the hotel would “vigorously contest” it.7Journal & Topics Newspapers. Lawyer Seeks Answers in Death of Woman in Hotel Freezer
Why the Amount Became Public
After the parties settled in August 2023, Martin’s attorneys filed an unopposed motion asking Cook County Judge Thomas Cushing to seal the terms. They argued that widespread publicity and social media speculation had produced threats against Martin, witnesses, and the defendants.8Seattle Times. A Chicago Woman Died in a Hotel Freezer. Now Her Mother Has Reached a Settlement On October 3, 2023, Judge Cushing denied the request, though he gave the attorneys until October 6 to refile.9Daily Herald. Settlement Reached in Rosemont Hotel Freezer Death Case, but Amount Undisclosed for Now The full terms were unsealed in mid-December 2023.10Atlanta Black Star. Hotels Settlement with Kenneka Jenkins Family Is Revealed as $10 Million
Martin’s 2025 Claim She Was Pressured to Settle
In a Facebook post on November 22, 2025, Martin publicly challenged the deal she had signed two years earlier. She alleged she had been “tricked” into accepting the $10 million and “forced to NEVER talk about my child again.” She wrote that “they forced us, had us in rooms for hours, and would not let us go until we said what they wanted us to say,” and claimed she was made to record a video under duress.11Black Enterprise. Kenneka Jenkins Mother Breaks Silence on Daughters Case
Martin did not name anyone in the post, referring only to “they.” She acknowledged the risk of speaking out, writing, “I might be back in court. I will be getting sued because I was tricked.” She also demanded the return of her daughter’s personal belongings, including clothing and a cell phone.12Atlanta Black Star. Kenneka Jenkins Mother Makes Explosive Claims About Her Mysterious Death
Chicago activist Jedidiah Brown, who took part in early protests outside the hotel, disputed her account on social media. He accused Martin of reinforcing “lies she knows aren’t true” and said she had given up “justice for temporary pleasure.”12Atlanta Black Star. Kenneka Jenkins Mother Makes Explosive Claims About Her Mysterious Death As of early 2026, neither the defendants nor the attorneys involved in the settlement have publicly responded to Martin’s coercion allegations.
The Death Behind the Case
Kenneka Jenkins was 19 when she arrived at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont around 1:13 a.m. on September 9, 2017, for a party in a ninth-floor room. Security cameras captured her walking through a first-floor kitchen area toward a walk-in freezer in an unused, under-construction part of the hotel at about 3:32 a.m. A hotel employee found her body inside the freezer roughly 21 hours later, at about 12:25 a.m. on September 10.13CBS News Chicago. Kenneka Jenkins Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settlement
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death an accident caused by hypothermia. Her blood-alcohol concentration was 0.112, and the epilepsy and migraine medication topiramate was in her system at therapeutic levels; the examiner noted the two can combine to cause dizziness, confusion, and poor coordination. The autopsy found no evidence of trauma, sexual assault, or altercation.14WBNS-10TV. Autopsy Results Released in Teens Death in Freezer The Rosemont Public Safety Department closed its investigation in October 2017 and classified the death as accidental. Police said more than 30 hours of surveillance footage showed no signs of foul play, though the footage never captured Jenkins actually entering the freezer. No criminal charges were filed.15ABC 7 Chicago. Police Close Investigation Into Death of Woman Found in Rosemont Hotel Freezer