PLYMOUTH, Mass. (Court TV) — A Massachusetts judge is weighing what to do after Karen Read accidentally sent an email message meant for her own attorneys to opposing counsel.
Karen Read appears in court for a hearing in a civil lawsuit filed against her by the O’Keefe family on Sept. 22, 2025. (Court TV)
Read is embroiled in a civil lawsuit accusing her of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. Read was acquitted of murder charges in the case after two jury trials.
In December, Read was BCC-ed on an email sent by her attorney to lawyers for the O’Keefe family. In error, Read responded after hitting “reply all,” sending her message to a larger group than she had initially intended.
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The O’Keefe family attorneys have maintained that the email is no longer covered by attorney-client privilege because Read sent it to them herself and have refused to delete it. At a motion hearing on Tuesday, Read’s attorney, Damon Seligson, maintained that the email was an “inadvertent disclosure.”
But the O’Keefe’s attorney, Marc Diller, says that the message contained in that email directly impeaches statements that Read has previously made under oath. “I identified that there were inconsistent statements in the email that was provided to me before anybody tried to recall it or advise me that it was intended as a confidential communication,” Diller said.
The contents of Read’s message have not been disclosed and remain sealed.
Judge Mark Gildea said he would take the matter under advisement and issue a ruling later. The parties are scheduled to return to court on March 5 for a scheduling conference.
