Karen Read sues Massachusetts State Police, Canton Police, alleging "culture of bias and corruption"

Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and Canton police, alleging "a culture of bias and corruption" after she was acquitted of murder in the death of John O'Keefe.

The lawsuit shows an alleged history of disturbing text messages between fired Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor and former Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode.  

Read filed the lawsuit Thursday morning in Bristol County Superior Court.

The lawsuit comes two days after Goode resigned from Canton police amid an internal affairs investigation by an outside investigator.

Goode was working the night of O'Keefe's death and testified during Read's first trial. He was under investigation for allegations of misconduct. The allegations stem from an investigation into Proctor, the lead investigator in the case who was later fired.

Canton police said Goode's resignation does not alter the completion of the investigation, which will be submitted to the town and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST).

Proctor was fired in part due to crude text messages he sent about Read, including one where he said "Hopefully she kills herself." Thousands of text messages were later discovered on Proctor's cellphone, including racial slurs and other offensive and inappropriate language.

Karen Read files lawsuit

In their lawsuit, Read's lawyers specifically referenced Proctor and Goode's actions.

"Michael Proctor and Sean Goode did not slip through the cracks; they are emblematic of the failure to responsibly exercise the trust and faith the public puts in these institutions," Read's attorneys said. "Proctor and Goode were unfit for positions of public trust and yet they were handed badges, promotions, and ultimately control of homicide investigations despite harboring deep-seated and abhorrent anti-woman, racist, antisemitic, and homophobic ideologies for more than a decade."

Alan Jackson, who represented Read at both of her trials, is among the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, along with Damon Seligson and Aaron Rosenberg.

In a message to WBZ-TV's Kristina Rex, Jackson said he will be in Massachusetts on Friday and plans to comment on the case then. 

Michael Proctor and Sean Goode's text messages

The lawsuit alleges that Proctor and Goode are "virulent bigots" with "unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs and gay people."

Lawyers say those allegations are substantiated by thousands of written and audio messages that had been hidden from the public.

In one message, the complaint alleges that Proctor told Goode about a multi-car crash in Canton.

"Actually, take your time, I saw a [n----r] was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die," Proctor wrote, according to the complaint.

"The truth is coming," lawyers say

Read stood trial twice in the death of O'Keefe, a Boston police officer who she was dating at the time of his death in January 2022. O'Keefe was found dead in the snow outside of a Canton home. Read was accused of hitting and killing him with her SUV after a night of drinking. Read accused a group of people, including law enforcement, of attempting to frame her.

After a hung jury led to a mistrial at her first trial, Read was acquitted of all charges except operating under the influence during the retrial.

"As Karen Read saw firsthand, when agencies fail to ensure that those entrusted with authority are fit to exercise it, the consequences can be devastating. Karen Read was acquitted of every charge related to John O'Keefe's death — and now the agencies that negligently permitted virulent misogynists and bigots to target her will answer for what they built, what they concealed, and what they did to her," Read's lawyers said. "The days of hiding behind badges and promotions while peddling vile bigotry are over. The truth is coming, and with it an unflinching reckoning."

Read's lawyers requested a jury trial for the lawsuit. They are seeking damages in an amount to be calculated at trial, along with pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and expenses.     

Bill Read "truly shocked" by messages

Read was not home when WBZ-TV attempted to reach her for comment. Her father, Bill Read, said in an interview that he was "truly shocked" but the messages.

"It's alarming that allegedly two police officers could have this type of bias and prejudice about individuals of color, women, Jewish people," Bill Read said. "It kind of unnerves me to be honest with you. It kind of shakes me to my core. I think it's a sad day for Massachusetts and for police officers everywhere that they have been tainted by this."

Bill Read was asked what the family hopes to accomplish with the lawsuit.

"That nobody else goes through what Karen Read and our family has endured. No one should ever go through this. And if anyone thinks this was just a one-off, an outlier on the data points, don't be mistaken," he said.

Massachusetts State Police call messages "abhorrent"

Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble called Proctor's messages "abhorrent" and said they highlight why he decided to fire the former trooper.

"These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper," Noble said Thursday. "These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks. They underscore and fully support my decision to terminate Michael Proctor."

Noble was hired in 2024. State police said that in recent years, there have been a number of reforms in the department designed to reiterate expectations of conduct on and off duty. 

"As Superintendent, my role requires me to act in the best interest of the Department. In this moment, that means moving forward with a focus on upholding our standards, strengthening accountability, and supporting the honorable women and men of the State Police who serve our communities with professionalism and integrity," Noble said. "We do so keenly aware of the ways in which this misconduct harmed the public trust on which our mission depends."

Town of Canton response

In a statement, the Town of Canton said it learned of the lawsuit through news media and a press release from Read's legal team after Town Counsel previously attempted to reach her attorneys but did not receive a response.

"The Town has not been served, and as such we have nothing to review with legal counsel at this time. We have no comment on the press release issued by the Read legal team," the statement said. "The Town of Canton has the utmost faith and confidence in the new leadership of Canton Police Department under Chief Michael Daniels, and we would refute any broad stroke characterizations about the brave and dedicated men and women who serve in the Department. The Department has made significant strides forward over the past two years, including the acceptance and implementation of findings and recommendations in the outside audit report. The Department is poised to move further ahead as a modern public safety agency, which the citizens of Canton rightfully expect and deserve."    

The Norfolk County District Attorney's office, which prosecuted Read, declined to comment on the lawsuit.