Karen Read has filed a civil lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, accusing state and local law enforcement agencies of mishandling the investigation that led to charges that she killed her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
The complaint, filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court, seeks damages for legal fees, lost income, emotional distress, and reputational harm after Read spent more than three years fighting the criminal case.
Court papers point to texts, recordings, and other communications involving former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor and former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode. The suit claims the materials show racist, sexist, and other derogatory remarks that made both men unfit to take part in a serious criminal investigation.
The filing accuses the Massachusetts State Police and Canton of failing to properly hire, train, and supervise officers involved in the inquiry. The alleged misconduct is framed as part of a broader oversight failure by state and local law enforcement, not only the actions of Proctor and Goode.
O’Keefe was found on the lawn of a fellow officer’s home in Canton in January 2022 during a snowstorm. Prosecutors argued that Read struck him with her SUV and left him outside, while her defense attorneys said investigators wrongly focused on her and overlooked other explanations for his death. Read was acquitted last June of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene, and was convicted only of a lesser drunken driving charge.
Proctor was a central figure during the criminal trial, where the defense portrayed him as biased against Read from the start. A Massachusetts State Police trial board later found him guilty of misconduct for sending crude and defamatory messages about Read while leading the investigation. Proctor was fired.
Goode was placed on leave in November 2025 after Canton officials were notified of misconduct allegations and resigned earlier this week.
Negligent hiring, training, and supervision claims focus on whether an employer failed to prevent misconduct by people acting under its authority. The complaint claims the State Police and Canton gave Proctor and Goode roles in the investigation despite signs that they were unfit for that work.
Read is also seeking damages for other losses she says were tied to the prosecution, including emotional distress and harm to her reputation.
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