Karen Read’s Attorneys Ask Court to Dismiss Part of O’Keefe Family’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit

“The days of Karen Read being on the defense are over.”

That is what Read’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, declared outside a Massachusetts courtroom on Monday, Sept. 22, as his client prepared for another trial, this time in civil court.

Read, a former equity analyst and college professor at Bentley University, is once again defending herself against allegations that she killed her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022.

Earlier this year, a jury acquitted Read of O’Keefe’s murder. She now faces a wrongful death lawsuit in Plymouth Superior Court. At the Sept. 22 hearing, Read’s attorneys requested that the court dismiss part of the case, according to the Associated Press.

In court, her legal team argued that the plaintiffs “don’t have standing to pursue emotional distress damages because they didn’t witness O’Keefe’s death or see his body until after he had been declared dead at the hospital,” per the AP.

The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 26, 2024, on behalf of O’Keefe’s estate by his brother, Paul O’Keefe. The other plaintiffs include O’Keefe’s parents, Margaret O’Keefe and John O’Keefe II, and his niece.

At the time of his death, O’Keefe had been raising his niece and nephew for eight years, gaining custody in 2014 after both of their parents died within months of each other from a brain tumor and a heart attack. On the night O’Keefe died, only his niece was home; his nephew was staying at a friend’s house.

During her court appearance, Read revealed plans to file multiple lawsuits following her two criminal trials, the first of which ended in a hung jury.

Her attorney, Damon Seligson, told the judge that Read intends to sue the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) and three individuals involved in the investigation: Lt. Brian Tully, Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, and Trooper Michael Proctor. Seligson accused the MSP and these officers of civil rights violations and conspiracy.

Following the trial, Proctor was terminated by the MSP, while Tully and Bukhenik were transferred.

Read also plans legal action against Brian Higgins, Brian and Nicole Albert, and Jennifer and Matthew McCabe.

In the criminal case, Read’s attorneys previously argued that she had been framed. A court motion claimed “the actual perpetrators of this crime are Jennifer McCabe and Brian Albert.” Albert owned the home where O’Keefe’s body was found, and Jennifer McCabe was with Read when she discovered him.

According to the defense, Brian’s wife, Nicole, initially told police she learned about O’Keefe only after Jennifer came to her room. But cell phone records show that McCabe made two calls to Nicole’s phone at 6:07 a.m. and 6:08 a.m., both answered and subsequently deleted, the defense noted.

The defense also argued that O’Keefe’s injuries were inconsistent with the claim that he was struck by a car. “Contrary to the Commonwealth’s theories, photographs of O’Keefe suggest that he was beaten severely and left for dead, sustaining blunt force injuries to both sides of his face and the back of his head,” the motion said. “He also suffered defensive wounds on his hands and deep scratches and puncture wounds on his right upper arm and forearm.”

The motion further claimed that Jennifer McCabe obstructed the investigation, delaying Read from returning to the Albert residence and controlling the narrative provided to police when O’Keefe’s body was discovered.

Jennifer allegedly called 9-1-1 after Read found the body, at which point a trooper close to both the McCabe and Albert families arrived on the scene, the defense alleged.

“Brian and Nicole Albert were among the first notified that O’Keefe was lying unresponsive on their front lawn, and despite their proximity, made no effort to assist or investigate,” the motion stated. “Either Nicole is lying, or Jennifer McCabe was on the phone with her husband, Brian Albert. Either way, Brian and Nicole Albert chose to remain in their home rather than check on O’Keefe, assist in life-saving efforts, speak with responding officers, or otherwise investigate the situation.”

The wrongful death lawsuit also references an alleged conspiracy. “Read chose to speak publicly. She knowingly and deliberately changed her story and fabricated a conspiracy knowing the same to be false. She publicly communicated this false narrative thereby frustrating justice for [O’Keefe],” the lawsuit reads.

Read, who was convicted of operating under the influence the night of O’Keefe’s death, is scheduled for another pre-trial hearing on Nov. 21.