Karen Read has filed two civil lawsuits after her June 2025 acquittal in the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe: a November 2025 complaint against eight individuals she accuses of framing her, and a June 2026 complaint against the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department alleging institutional bigotry and a corrupt investigation. She is also defending a separate wrongful death suit brought by O’Keefe’s family, which is now in discovery in Plymouth Superior Court.
The November 2025 Suit Against Individuals
On November 18, 2025, Read filed suit in Bristol County Superior Court against eight named defendants: former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik, Lieutenant Brian Tully, Brian Albert, Nicole Albert, Jennifer McCabe, Matthew McCabe, and Brian Higgins.1WHDH. Karen Read Files Civil Lawsuit Against Michael Proctor, Jenn McCabe, Brian Albert and More The civilian defendants were at the Canton house party Read says O’Keefe attended the night he died.
The complaint alleges that the “House Defendants” concocted a plan after an altercation inside the home to avoid responsibility and frame Read, and that state police investigators knowingly allowed them to redirect the investigation away from the house.2CNN. Karen Read Massachusetts Police Lawsuit The legal claims include malicious prosecution under the Fourth Amendment, conspiracy to deprive Read of her constitutional rights, violations of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy.3Boston 25 News. Karen Read Files Explosive Lawsuit Alleging Police Cover-Up
Attorneys for the individual defendants issued a joint statement denying the allegations, calling them “entirely false, defamatory, and without merit.”2CNN. Karen Read Massachusetts Police Lawsuit
The June 2026 Suit Against the Police Departments
Read filed her second civil lawsuit on June 4, 2026, again in Bristol County Superior Court, naming the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department.4ABC News. Karen Read Files Lawsuit Against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police The complaint alleges the agencies maintained “an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot” and were negligent in the hiring, training, and supervision of officers involved in the O’Keefe investigation.5NBC Boston. Karen Read Says She’s Suing Mass. State Police, Canton Police
The suit leans heavily on text messages exchanged between Proctor and former Canton Police Sergeant Sean Goode, describing the two officers as “virulent bigots” with “unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs and gay people.” Among the cited messages, Proctor allegedly used a racial slur about someone in a crash and wrote, “I wouldn’t rush if you’re working. Let them die.”6CBS News. Karen Read Lawsuit Massachusetts State Police Canton Police Read alleges the agencies knew of the conduct and concealed it, and that her wrongful prosecution caused lost employment, reputational damage, significant legal expenses, and emotional and physical distress.4ABC News. Karen Read Files Lawsuit Against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police
She is seeking damages to be determined at trial, plus attorney’s fees and costs, and has requested a jury trial.6CBS News. Karen Read Lawsuit Massachusetts State Police Canton Police Her attorney Alan Jackson has said the primary goal is “exposure” of institutional corruption rather than a specific monetary recovery.7NBC News. Karen Read Reveals Decision New Lawsuit Read’s legal team also includes Damon Seligson and Aaron Rosenberg.
On the day of filing, the Town of Canton said it had not yet been served and offered no comment on the substance of the claims, while expressing confidence in its current police chief, Michael Daniels. Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said the text messages cited in the lawsuit were “racist, sexist, and abhorrent” and that they supported his decision to fire Proctor, but added the messages “absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police.”8Boston 25 News. Mass. State Police, Canton Police Respond After Karen Read Alleges Bias, Corruption Both agencies had 20 days from service to respond in court.
What the Civil Claims Are Built On
The lawsuits draw on findings that emerged during and after the criminal proceedings. A Massachusetts State Police trial board found Proctor, the lead investigator, guilty of sending inappropriate messages about Read (including calling her a “whack job” and telling his sister he hoped she “kills herself”), sharing confidential case information with people outside law enforcement, and drinking on duty. He was suspended without pay after the first trial’s mistrial, fired on March 19, 2025, withdrew his appeal in October 2025, and had his law enforcement certification suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission in December 2025.9Police1. State Board Revokes LE Certification for Mass. State Police Investigator
Sergeant Bukhenik forfeited five vacation days for participating in a group chat where Proctor sent inappropriate messages and was reassigned out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Lieutenant Tully was transferred after an internal review, stripped of six personal days for failing to supervise, and retired from the State Police in April 2026.10Boston 25 News. Mass. State Police Lieutenant Who Oversaw Karen Read Investigation Retires Sergeant Goode, who was at the scene the morning O’Keefe was found, became the subject of a Canton internal affairs investigation in October 2025 after the district attorney’s office flagged his texts with Proctor. He was placed on administrative leave, refused to cooperate with the review, and resigned on May 29, 2026, the Friday before a scheduled termination hearing.11Boston Herald. Canton Police Officer Who Testified in Karen Read Trial Resigns
Proctor, through counsel, has maintained that his personal conduct “had no bearing whatsoever on the investigation of Karen Read” and that the evidence against her remained “overwhelming.”5NBC Boston. Karen Read Says She’s Suing Mass. State Police, Canton Police
The Wrongful Death Suit Against Read
O’Keefe’s family has sued Read in Plymouth Superior Court for wrongful death and emotional distress. The family alleges that Read caused them emotional distress by fabricating a conspiracy about O’Keefe’s death and waging a “public campaign of disinformation” using crime bloggers to incite harassment against them. Read’s defense has argued the family lacks standing to pursue emotional distress damages because they did not witness the death or see O’Keefe’s body until after he was declared dead at the hospital.12NBC Boston. What’s the Status of the Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Karen Read
In October 2025, Judge Daniel O’Shea allowed claims for reckless and intentional infliction of emotional distress to proceed. He dismissed a negligent infliction of emotional distress claim brought on behalf of O’Keefe’s niece.13Court TV. Judge Allows O’Keefe’s Civil Case Against Karen Read to Move Forward
As of mid-2026, the case is in discovery. More than a dozen depositions are scheduled through the summer, with a discovery deadline of August 17, 2026. Ongoing disputes include the family’s attempts to obtain documents from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office about blogger Aidan Kearney, known as “Turtleboy,” and Read’s efforts to compel the Town of Canton to produce records related to the Goode investigation. The town has called Read’s subpoena “unreasonably broad.”12NBC Boston. What’s the Status of the Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Karen Read
At a June 17, 2026, hearing, Judge Mark Gildea rejected efforts to delay the deposition of Colin Albert, a relative of Brian Albert who is attending Army basic training. The judge ordered the deposition to take place before the August discovery deadline, saying “a duly issued subpoena needs to mean something.” He also reprimanded both sides for “pandering to social media” in their filings.14CBS News. Colin Albert Deposition Karen Read Lawsuit No trial date has been set in the wrongful death case.