The family of the late Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read and two Canton, Massachusetts bars. In a civil suit lodged in Plymouth Superior Court, the family accuses Read of fatally striking O'Keefe with an SUV during a snowstorm in January 2022 and charges the two establishments with overserving her. A statement in the complaint obtained by CBS News Boston alleges that Read drove "in a state of intoxication."
Paul O'Keefe, John's brother, stands as the primary plaintiff in the suit, which also lists John O'Keefe's parents and his teenage niece as plaintiffs, whom he was caring for at the time of his alleged murder. According to CBS News Boston, the lawsuit alleges wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress, seeking damages for a wide range of grievances, including "lost value to next of kin" and suffering endured by O'Keefe before his death.
Karen Read, 44, was charged with second-degree murder and other related charges, and faces a retrial scheduled for January 27, 2025, following a mistrial in July. As reported by Boston.com, during Read's previous trial, a forensic scientist estimated her blood alcohol content to range from 0.135% to 0.292% at the time of the incident based on a post-accident blood test.
Despite the criminal proceedings, the civil lawsuit moves forward and has implicated C.F. McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar & Grille as defendants. The complaint asserts that they "negligently served alcohol to an intoxicated person, namely defendant Read," as stated in Boston.com. Combined with Read's alleged behavior, the bars are accused of contributing to the conditions that led to O'Keefe's demise.
The family's legal action underscores a period of public clamor and intense media attention surrounding the case. The first trial captivated Boston with public demonstrations outside Norfolk Superior Court. Responses from Read, her attorneys, or the bars involved have not been made public at this time. Legal representatives for Read intend to appeal on the basis of double jeopardy claims, as highlighted by Read's defense attorney Martin Weinberg in a statement obtained by Boston.com.
