Michael Proctor's deposition in Karen Read lawsuit temporarily delayed
Fired Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor's deposition with Karen Read's lawyers that was scheduled for Monday will not happen until June 25.
Proctor had tried to reschedule the deposition, which was set to happen days after his alleged history of racist text messages was revealed.
The messages allegedly found on Proctor's personal phone came to light in a new lawsuit filed by Read against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police on Thursday.
Proctor asked the court to postpone the deposition connected to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Read by the family of John O'Keefe. Proctor, who was the lead investigator in Read's case, is a witness in that lawsuit.
Proctor was scheduled to be questioned Monday by Read's attorneys. According to the emergency motion filed in court, Proctor was looking to delay that deposition due to personal circumstances.
"This is a scheduling dispute-not an outright refusal to produce the discovery sought by Ms. Read," the motion filed in Plymouth Superior Court on Friday reads. "Ms. Read has litigated this case extensively in the media."
On Monday afternoon, Plymouth Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea denied Proctor's motion to delay, saying his attorneys must present him on Tuesday for the deposition. Read's attorneys said Tuesday did not work for them, so Proctor is now scheduled to be deposed on June 25.
Earlier on Monday, Judge Gildea criticized Proctor's lawyers for the last-minute request and also knocked Read's attorneys for the "strategic" filing of her lawsuit against State Police on Thursday and a pre-planned national media appearance.
"Based on the record before me, there is insufficient information to support a delay in the deposition going forward," he said, but added he was giving Proctor's team more time to make their case.
In Read's new lawsuit filed last week, she released disturbing text messages between Proctor and Sean Goode that allegedly included racial slurs, sexist comments and other offensive material. Goode is a former Canton police sergeant who resigned last week in the midst of an internal investigation.
Read was accused of hitting and killing O'Keefe with her SUV after a night of drinking in 2022. She alleged that Proctor and a group of other people attempted to frame her. She stood trial twice and was acquitted during her retrial on all charges except operating under the influence of liquor.
In statement Monday, a spokesperson for Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said she has been clear that Proctor's "conduct and his racist, sexist and offensive comments were absolutely abhorrent and do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police."
