Karen Read, who was acquitted last year of murdering her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, has filed a lawsuit against two police agencies, alleging violations of her constitutional rights and causing immense harm.
Lawsuit Filed Against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police
The 46-year-old Read, found not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Officer John O'Keefe on June 18, 2025, filed the suit in Bristol County Superior Court on Thursday. The lawsuit targets the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department, as reported by ABC affiliate WCVB.
In the claim, Read alleges “an imbedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot” following her acquittal in the high-profile murder trial. She specifically names Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who led the 2022 murder investigation and was later fired, and Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, who was on duty the night of O'Keefe's death and testified during Read's first trial.
The suit was filed a day after Goode resigned from the police department while under investigation by an outside investigator.
Offensive Text Messages Revealed During Trial
Thousands of text messages sent by Proctor about Read were revealed during her murder trial. The messages were filled with crude remarks, racial slurs, and other offensive language, including one where he expressed hope that “she kills herself” after the investigation began. The lawsuit also cites numerous inappropriate and antisemitic messages sent by Proctor and Goode regarding Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“Michael Proctor and Sean Goode did not slip through the cracks; they are emblematic of the failure to responsibly exercise the trust and faith the public puts in these institutions,” Read’s attorneys told CBS Boston. “Proctor and Goode were unfit for positions of public trust and yet they were handed badges, promotions, and ultimately control of homicide investigations despite harbouring deep-seated and abhorrent anti-woman, racist, antisemitic, and homophobic ideologies for more than a decade.”
Read Tried Twice for Boyfriend’s Murder
Read was tried twice for O’Keefe’s murder after being accused of striking and killing him while driving an SUV following a night of drinking. She was acquitted of all charges except operating a vehicle under the influence after a hung jury led to a mistrial two years ago in the first trial.
“As Karen Read saw firsthand, when agencies fail to ensure that those entrusted with authority are fit to exercise it, the consequences can be devastating,” her lawyers said. “Karen Read was acquitted of every charge related to John O’Keefe’s death — and now the agencies that negligently permitted virulent misogynists and bigots to target her will answer for what they built, what they concealed, and what they did to her.”
