Karen Read will receive a $100,000 settlement from the Massachusetts State Police, resolving a civil lawsuit she filed against the agency. The settlement comes after Read was acquitted in June 2025 of the second-degree murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who died in January 2022.
Read's lawsuit alleged misconduct and negligence by state police in the investigation that led to her prosecution. She specifically claimed that former state trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator, sent numerous racist and bigoted text messages that indicated a "culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot" within the force. Read also alleged that Proctor and former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode exchanged anti-Semitic messages.
In legal filings, Read stated that she did not agree or admit that her damages were limited to $100,000 and is pursuing similar claims in other venues. The settlement requires a judge's approval. The claims against the town of Canton in her lawsuit remain active.
Prosecutors had argued that Read struck O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die. The defense, however, successfully contended that O'Keefe was killed inside a home and then moved outside. Read was found not guilty of murder, though she was convicted of a lesser charge of drunken driving.
State police stated that the settlement would "avoid prolonged litigation and the significant costs to taxpayers of continuing the case." The agency has previously condemned the "racist, sexist, and abhorrent messages" quoted in the complaint, asserting they do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police.
Proctor was fired by the state police in March 2025. His termination order cited his "derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate text messages" about Read, which created the appearance of bias and brought the department into disrepute. Proctor maintained that his "juvenile, unprofessional comments had zero impact on the facts, the evidence and the integrity of the investigation."
The trial regarding O'Keefe's death had previously resulted in a mistrial in July 2024 due to a deadlocked jury. Medical examiner Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello testified that O'Keefe's cause of death was blunt impact injuries to the head and hypothermia.
Multiple civil actions are still pending in relation to O'Keefe's death, including a wrongful death suit filed by his family against Read, and a federal suit filed by Read against civilian witnesses and investigators she claims colluded to frame her. Four witnesses also filed a defamation lawsuit against Read in April.