Karen Read's lead defense attorney in her criminal trial, Alan Jackson, said he will join her legal team again, this time to defend her against the O'Keefe family's wrongful death lawsuit.

The O'Keefe family filed the civil lawsuit against Read and two Canton bars in August of 2024. They allege that Read drove her Lexus SUV while drunk in January 2022, risking injury or death to her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. They also say that the bars, C.F. McCarthy's and the Waterfall Bar and Grille, are liable for overserving her alcohol. 

WBZ-TV legal analyst Katherine Loftus says she expects the two restaurants to settle the case, but does not think Read will.

"If there's any sort of settlement against her, you know it, it potentially affects credibility in other matters," Lotfus explained.

A civil case has a much lower legal standard than Read's two previous criminal trials.

The family is seeking monetary damages of $50,000 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."

Jackson will join three other attorneys for Read's civil trial - Aaron Davis, Charles Waters, and Damon Seligson. Lotfus said that Jackson could play a crucial role in helping familiarize Read's other attorneys with her previous criminal cases. However, she explained that there may be an issue with getting Jackson admitted into a Massachusetts courtroom as an out-of-state attorney.

"I do wonder whether maybe Elizabeth Little might pro hac [vice] in and he might stay on the team as more of a consultant, because given Judge Cannone's memorandum and ruling relative to the sanctions of counsel and what she deemed intentional misrepresentations. I'm not sure that he would be able to substantiate the prongs to be admitted pro hac again in Massachusetts," Lotfus told WBZ-TV.

The judge in the case would decide whether Jackson could participate. 

Jackson defended Read in both of her criminal trials alongside David Yannetti, Bob Alessi, and Elizabeth Little. 

Read was accused of hitting and killing O'Keefe after a night of heaving drinking on January 28, 2022. She was found not guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of bodily injury and death on June 18, 2025. The jury found her guilty only of operating under the influence. Read was sentenced to one year of probation.

The civil lawsuit, which was filed in Plymouth District Court, was put on hold for her criminal trial. John's brother, Paul O'Keefe, is the lead plaintiff, but listed with him are O'Keefe's parents and his niece, who was under John's care at the time.

Read's attorney filed to dismiss the lawsuit on July 9, 2025, but the reason behind the filing remains unclear. 

There has not been a date set for the civil proceedings to begin. The next hearing in the case is set for September 22.

Karen Read book and script

Read and Jackson are also teaming up to write a book and script about her story, according to several entertainment reports. It's not known if the scripted project will be a film or a television series. 

Variety and Deadline reported that the project will give people an inside look at aspects of Read's story that they haven't heard before.

Loftus explained that the payout from those projects could go towards Read's legal fees. She said that keeping Jackson on board with Read's team allows the case and controversy to stay in the limelight, which would benefit those deals. 

"I think there's also a benefit to them. You know, in terms of the PR benefit that they get from having him join the team," Loftus said.

For a full timeline of the Karen Read case, click here.