Karen Read has filed a civil lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, alleging that misconduct and negligence compromised the criminal investigation that led to her prosecution for the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The complaint, lodged Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court, comes roughly a year after Read was acquitted of murder charges.
Lawsuit Details
In the filing, Read's legal team asserts that her criminal trials exposed 'an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot' within the Canton Police Department and the state law enforcement agency. The lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, reputational harm, lost earnings, and legal fees, alleging that both entities failed to properly hire, train, and supervise their personnel.
A significant portion of the lawsuit focuses on former Canton Police Sergeant Sean Goode and former State Trooper Michael Proctor. Read's attorneys point to communications, recordings, and text messages containing derogatory, racist, and sexist statements, arguing that these materials prove both men were unfit to investigate the case and highlight a widespread lack of oversight.
Background of the Case
The lawsuit follows two criminal trials concerning the January 2022 death of O'Keefe, whose body was discovered outside the Canton home of another police officer during a severe winter storm. Prosecutors had alleged that Read struck O'Keefe with her SUV after a night of heavy drinking and abandoned him in the snow. She faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident. A jury cleared Read of those counts last June, though she was found guilty of a lesser charge of driving under the influence.
During the criminal proceedings, Read's defense team argued that O'Keefe was killed by other parties who then staged a cover-up. The defense heavily targeted Proctor, the lead investigator, accusing him of bias. A State Police internal board found Proctor guilty of sending insulting and defamatory texts about Read during the inquiry, resulting in his termination.
Official Responses
Colonel Geoffrey Noble, the superintendent of the State Police, addressed the filing in a statement on Thursday. Noble labeled Proctor's text messages 'racist, sexist and abhorrent,' stating that the messages justified his decision to terminate the trooper's employment. 'These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper,' Noble said, though he noted that the investigation occurred before he took leadership of the department. He added that officials recognized how the misconduct damaged public trust.
Goode, the other officer named in the lawsuit, resigned earlier this week after being placed on administrative leave in November 2025 following separate allegations of misconduct, according to local news reports.
