Karen Read files lawsuit against state police over alleged ‘gross misconduct’
Karen Read glances back in the Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where her civil case is being heard on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Karen Read, who was acquitted of charges in the death of her boyfriend, has filed a lawsuit claiming that members of the Massachusetts State Police and several other individuals targeted her while shielding the actual perpetrators.
Read was cleared earlier this year after more than three years of legal battles and two trials over the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. O’Keefe was found on the lawn of a fellow officer’s home following a night of heavy drinking.
“For three and a half years, plaintiff Karen Read was wrongly accused of homicide and subjected to suspicion, arrest, two prosecutions, and public condemnation—all resulting from the gross misconduct of the Massachusetts State Police, and those working in tandem with them—to shield from liability the party or parties responsible for the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe III,” the lawsuit states.
In 2022, Read was accused of striking O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die outside a house party in Canton, about 20 miles south of Boston. She faced charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene.
After a mistrial was declared last year due to a deadlocked jury, a second trial resulted in Read being found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, though she was convicted of a lesser charge of drunken driving.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, names multiple members of the state police as well as attendees of the house party, including federal agent Brian Higgins, homeowners Nicole and Brian Albert, and Jennifer and Matthew McCabe. It mirrors many of the defense claims presented during Read’s trials.
According to the filing, O’Keefe died during an altercation at the party following heavy drinking. The suit alleges a coordinated effort by those at the house to cover up the incident and shift blame onto Read, accusing investigators of poor police work, fabricating evidence, and failing to properly examine the home or interview witnesses.
“The House Defendants responsible for Mr. O’Keefe’s death—some with professional experience in police investigations—concocted a plan immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and frame Ms. Read,” the lawsuit claims. It adds that state police investigators allowed the defendants to redirect scrutiny toward Read.
Attorneys for Higgins, the McCabes, and the Alberts issued a statement denying the allegations. “The allegations made by Karen Read are entirely false, defamatory, and without merit,” they said. “Our clients categorically deny each and every claim. This lawsuit is nothing more than a continuation of a baseless conspiracy narrative that has caused significant harm to the reputations and lives of innocent people. Our clients acted responsibly, fulfilling their civic duty as witnesses, and have participated appropriately in the legal process from the outset.”
The lawsuit also claims that the investigation, led by former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, was biased from the beginning. Proctor was dismissed after sharing offensive and sexist texts about Read with others. During the second trial, Read’s attorney Alan Jackson argued that Proctor’s “blatant bias” compromised the investigation.
Read’s legal team stated that she “was dragged through a baseless criminal prosecution engineered by individuals who abused their authority, manipulated the investigative process, and trampled her rights.” They added, “Our complaint lays out, in stark detail, the malicious prosecution, the conspiracy, the civil-rights violations, and the intentional misconduct that these defendants visited upon an innocent woman.”
A Massachusetts State Police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit seeks damages for malicious prosecution and conspiracy to violate Read’s Fourth Amendment rights and demands a jury trial.
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