Michael Proctor set for emergency hearing in Karen Read lawsuit after asking to delay deposition
An emergency hearing is scheduled to be held Monday morning in the Karen Read civil case as fired Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor is trying to reschedule a deposition set for today, 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.
Now, Proctor is asking the court to postpone a 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 is 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."
Monday's hearing is scheduled to take place at 8:45 a.m. over Zoom. Proctor's lawyers are expected to provide information to the court about when they learned he wouldn't be available to prepare, when Read's lawyers were informed, and why deposition prep couldn't take place over the weekend.
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.
