Karen Read is asking that the wrongful death civil suit be stayed until the murder trial is over

Karen Read is trying to delay a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of her beloved Boston police officer until her criminal trial in his death is over.

The lawsuit filed last month blames Read for John O’Keefe’s death and also what it describes as negligence on the part of bars that continued to serve her drinks despite signs she was drunk. The first bar is said to have served him seven alcoholic drinks in about 90 minutes on the night of January 28, 2022, and that Read took the last drink to the second bar, where he was served a shot and mixed drink within an hour.

Read’s attorneys filed a motion Wednesday to delay the trial until after her criminal trial. Read is accused of hitting John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm in January 2022. Her two-month trial ended in July when a judge declared a mistrial, and a the second trial is scheduled for January 27.

“A stay is appropriate here if the continuation of this civil action concurrently with the criminal action will adversely affect Ms. Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and her ability to vigorously defend herself against prosecution,” her attorneys wrote in motion. They added that her requested stay is “minimal and not prejudicial” because the wrongful-death trial is not expected to conclude until at least August 2027.

But a lawyer for O’Keefe’s brother, Paul, and other relatives who filed the lawsuit oppose any delays and suggested they rely on the Fifth Amendment, ignoring the fact that she has spoken publicly about her case several times in press and will be subject to at least one future documentary.

“Miss. Read consistently and willfully disregard your Fifth Amendment privilege as she attempts to create her own narrative and poison the jury for both her criminal and civil cases,” the attorney wrote to Paul O’Keefe, Marc Diller. “In light of her open willingness to speak publicly, Ms. Read’s current reliance on her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent appears to be less about avoiding self-incrimination controlling the narrative to suit her interest.”

The lawsuit filed in Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts by Paul O’Keefe on behalf of his family and his brother’s estate names Read, Waterfall Bar & Grill and CF McCarthy’s as defendants. A jury trial is requested.

On Friday, an attorney for Waterfall Bar & Grill filed a response denying the allegations.

Read has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting retrial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Her two-month criminal trial ended in July when the judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked. The judge rejected arguments that jurors later said they unanimously agreed Read was not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene.

Read appealed the decision to the state’s highest court. On Friday, the Supreme Court of Justice announced that oral arguments would be held on November 6 in its bid to dismiss the two charges.

After bar-hopping, Read – a former adjunct professor at Bentley College – dropped O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston Police Department, outside the Canton home of another police officer. His body was found in the front yard. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe was killed inside the home and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient stranger”.

The lawsuit says Read and O’Keefe argued and that she knew she hit him with her SUV before returning to his home. It is alleged that she woke her 14-year-old niece several hours later saying something had happened to O’Keefe and that he might have been hit by her or a snow plough.

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