John O'Keefe's family files wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read, Canton bars
BROCKTON - John O'Keefe's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against Karen Read and two bars in Canton, Massachusetts.
The family accuses Read of hitting and killing O'Keefe and alleges the bars overserved her.
The civil lawsuit, filed in Plymouth Superior Court in Brockton, is seeking at least $50,000 in damages for "conscious pain and suffering, fear of impending death, wrongful death, lost value to next of kin, severe and profound emotional distress manifesting in bodily symptoms, and other compensable damages."
Who is Karen Read?
Read is accused of running down her boyfriend John O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, with her SUV after a night of drinking in January 2022 and leaving him to die in a yard in a snowstorm in Canton.
She's charged with second degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Her first trial ended in a mistrial in July after the jury couldn't come to an agreement on all three charges. The next trial is scheduled for January 27, 2025.
Read has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. Her attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have two of the charges - second degree murder and leaving the scene - dismissed after the mistrial. That was rejected by Judge Beverly Cannone last Friday.
Karen Read civil lawsuit
Paul O'Keefe, John's brother, is the lead plaintiff in the civil lawsuit against Read and the two bars where she and John O'Keefe were drinking just before his death - McCarthy's and the Waterfall Bar and Grill.
"A criminal case is to punish those who do criminal activities, and one can receive jail time or some other criminal punishment," said Doug Sheff, a wrongful death attorney. "In the civil world, all we have is money damages."
The family claims the bars are liable for serving her the alcohol.
"Not only are they alleging that in the first establishment she's alleged to have had seven drinks, she was allowed to carry the last drink out with her," Sheff said. "Interestingly, she may have appeared more intoxicated in the second establishment, even though she only was alleged to have two drinks there."
Also listed as plaintiffs are John O'Keefe's parents and his niece, who he was taking care of at the time of his death.
The O'Keefe complaint
In their complaint, the O'Keefes say in the months, weeks and days leading up to John O'Keefe's death, "defendant Read, picked fights, experienced jealousy and had delusions of unfaithfulness."
The family also claims "At all relevant times on January 29, 2022, defendant Read drove her SUV in a state of intoxication" and that "After JJ got out of defendant Read's vehicle in front of 34 Fairview Rd. on January 29, 2022, Read drove her SUV and hit JJ."
The O'Keefes also stated that Read "knew or had a reason to know of the risk of grave injury or death to JJ; or said risk would've been obvious to a reasonable person; and she intentionally or unreasonably disregarded that risk... JJ's injuries or death resulted from defendant Read's decision to engage in the conduct."
John O'Keefe's body was found early the next morning after Read said she started searching for him when he didn't come home that night.
"At approximately 4:30 AM, defendant Read knew that she had hit JJ with her SUV. Nevertheless, she woke up JJ's 14-year-old niece Kayley and talked about JJ's death, talked about hitting JJ with her SUV and otherwise involved Kayley in her frantic calls about JJ's death," the complaint states.
"At relevant times after 7:50 AM on January 29, 2022, defendant Read went to the grieving house of JJ, feigned comfort to JJ's family, and use the opportunity to, amongst other things, remove the offending weapon, her vehicle, and/or destroy relevant evidence."
"Fabricated a conspiracy"
The complaint also said, "Notwithstanding her 5th amendment right not to speak; defendant 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 JJ. Such false narrative caused the Plaintiffs aggravated emotional distress."
There has been no comment yet from Read, her attorneys or the owners of the two bars.