PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Karen Read, recently acquitted in the murder of her then-boyfriend John O’Keefe, is now on the offensive, planning to file her own lawsuit, claiming police and witnesses conspired to violate her civil rights. The announcement was made during a hearing for the wrongful death lawsuit brought against her by O’Keefe’s family.
Read appeared at Plymouth Superior Court with a large legal team, including defense attorney Alan Jackson. Walking in, Read said, “It’s weird, I thought I was acquitted twice and I’m still back in court.”
Minutes into the hearing, one of Read’s civil attorneys, Damon M. Seligson, announced her intention to file a lawsuit, alleging a conspiracy to frame her for O’Keefe’s death, who was found unresponsive outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton in January 2022. “They collectively conspired to ensure that what happened in the house was not explored and investigated, and instead Mr. Read was wrongfully targeted, vigorously prosecuted, and made to face two criminal trials for the death of John O’Keefe,” Seligson stated.
Seligson said Read’s lawsuit will target eight individuals and two law enforcement agencies involved in her prosecution. The defendants include three members of the Massachusetts State Police previously assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office: Lt. Brian Tully, Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, and former Trooper Michael Proctor.
She is also suing five prosecution witnesses from her criminal case: Brian Albert, Nicole Albert, Brian Higgins, Jennifer McCabe, and Matthew McCabe. State Police and the Canton Police Department will also be named in the suit, according to Seglison.
A lawyer for the O’Keefe family, Marc Diller, argued that Read’s claim of a conspiracy is baseless and should not be part of their wrongful death suit. “If they’re seeking to overlap these two cases and throw it as far wide-ranging as they’ve just announced, and there’s no way that we would not be prejudiced by their strategy,” Diller said. He reiterated his client’s stance, stating, “Karen drives drunk. She reverses her SUV. She knocks JJ (John O’Keefe) down. She leaves him to die in the cold… That’s where Karen starts plotting "
When asked what amount of damages she would be seeking, Read responded, “What would you want to be paid to go through what I’ve been through. That’s the number.”
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