Four witnesses from the high-profile criminal case against Karen Read are now fighting back in civil court, filing a defamation lawsuit Thursday that targets Read and blogger Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney. The plaintiffs say the pair falsely cast them as suspects in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe and then kept that theory alive online, shredding their reputations and sense of safety as the wider legal saga keeps grinding on.
According to The Boston Globe, the complaint lists Canton resident Brian Albert, his sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe, his nephew Colin Albert and friend Brian Higgins as plaintiffs and says the case was filed in Barnstable Superior Court. The suit alleges Read and Kearney falsely tied all four to O’Keefe’s death and waged a coordinated public campaign that upended their personal and professional lives. They are asking for monetary damages and a court order to block any further allegedly defamatory statements.
The complaint, as described by The Boston Globe, claims the defendants’ statements "have caused incalculable harm" and subjected the plaintiffs to "a daily tidal wave of hatred, harassment, and intimidation." Lawyers for the four say their clients cooperated with investigators, only to be dragged into the center of a sprawling online narrative about an alleged cover-up. The filing also accuses Kearney of boosting Read’s cover-up theory for his own benefit.
Turtleboy’s role and criminal charges
Aidan Kearney, the blogger behind the Turtleboy brand, has been one of Read’s loudest public defenders and is already facing criminal charges tied to the case. Earlier witness-intimidation counts against him were detailed by the Associated Press, which reported that prosecutors say Kearney repeatedly targeted witnesses in livestreams and social media posts. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys argue that what he did amounts to advocacy and reporting that should be protected.
Read’s parallel civil fights
Read, meanwhile, has launched her own civil case against investigators and several witnesses. That lawsuit was transferred to federal court late last year, according to Boston.com. On a separate track, John O’Keefe’s family has a wrongful-death suit pending against Read in Plymouth Superior Court. With multiple cases stacked on top of each other, everything from where they will be heard to how evidence can surface in public filings is likely to shape how quickly this new defamation battle moves.
Legal hurdles for the plaintiffs
The plaintiffs will also have to navigate a powerful shield in Massachusetts law known as the litigation privilege. It broadly protects statements made in connection with judicial proceedings and can knock out defamation claims if the challenged speech is closely tied to ongoing litigation. As explained by Sheehan Phinney in an explainer on New England Biz Law Update, the privilege can cover courtroom testimony and many litigation-related communications even when made in bad faith. To win, the four plaintiffs will need to show that the allegedly defamatory statements fell outside that protected zone.
In a joint statement quoted by local media, the plaintiffs said they "have done the right thing by assisting authorities" and that they have faced relentless false accusations and harassment, according to WHDH. The station also reports that Kearney’s attorney is reviewing the complaint and that Read’s legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The new filing now sets up a lengthy fight over discovery and motions as the court tries to separate protected advocacy from what the plaintiffs insist is outright defamation.
