Police Corruption Lawsuit
Acquitted Karen Read Files Lawsuit Against Police, Alleging Years of Systemic Corruption
Karen Read, acquitted of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe in June 2025, has filed a lawsuit in Bristol County Superior Court against the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department alleging a years-long, system-wide “culture of bias and corruption” that led to her wrongful prosecution over three years. Her complaint, brought through attorneys Alan Jackson, Damon Seligson, and Aaron Rosenberg, accuses investigators of acting with “biased and predetermined” focus on Read while ignoring other suspects, including allegations of evidence planting or manipulation, mishandling of key evidence, incomplete searches of the home where O’Keefe was last seen, and disregard of physical evidence inconsistent with the theory presented at trial. The lawsuit also alleges surveillance video was deleted or not preserved, that witnesses’ phones were not seized and were later destroyed, and that investigators faced conflicts of interest and improper influence from personal relationships. Read’s filing highlights former state trooper Michael Proctor and former Canton Sgt. Sean Goode as central examples, asserting they were unfit for public trust despite maintaining control over the homicide investigation. Proctor was fired in March 2025 and had his certification suspended after a three-member trial board found policy violations including insulting texts about Read, sharing sensitive case information, exhibiting apparent bias, and drinking while on duty. Goode, who testified in Read’s first trial and was under misconduct investigation tied to Proctor, resigned effective June 2, and Canton officials said his resignation does not change the completion of the investigation being submitted to the town and POST.
Key Points
Read’s 87-page complaint, filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court, asserts multiple legal theories against the Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police Department, including “negligence, civil conspiracy, and misconduct.”
While the lawsuit focuses on the murder case, one report notes Read was also found guilty of a lesser offense—drunken driving—after being found not guilty of murder at her second trial.
A POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) trial board decision cited in reporting said Proctor violated four department policies, including insulting texts about Read, sharing “sensitive information … with people from outside law enforcement,” appearing biased against Read, and drinking while on duty “in connection with an unrelated cold case.”
In the lawsuit’s accompanying statement, Read’s attorneys accused the agencies of allowing “virulent misogynists and bigots” to target her and declared: “The days of hiding behind badges and promotions while peddling vile bigotry are over. The truth is coming, and with it an unflinching reckoning.”
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