PLYMOUTH, Mass. (Court TV) — Karen Read scored a win in court on Friday, as a judge agreed to stay the civil lawsuit she’s facing until after the outcome of her second criminal trial on charges she killed her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe.
FILE – Karen Read waits for her court case to resume at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool, File)
Read’s first trial on multiple charges, including second-degree murder, ended with a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Prosecutors say that after a night out drinking with friends, Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow. As she faces criminal charges, O’Keefe’s family has filed a lawsuit naming her and bars the couple frequented before his death as defendants. Her second trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 27, which is part of the reason Judge William White agreed to put parts of the civil case on hold.
The stay of six months, Judge White said, would be sufficient given that the criminal trial is expected to take no more than three months.
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In her argument to delay any depositions, Read argued that being forced to participate in the civil case would violate her Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. O’Keefe’s family cited Read’s continuing media interviews and public statements as evidence of her waiving her right. Judge White disagreed: “As distasteful as Read’s media campaign may be to the plaintiffs, her statements to the media about the criminal case do not constitute a waiver of her right against self-incrimination.”
Judge White’s order does not grant a full stay of proceedings — rather, the delay was only granted for depositions and discovery relating directly to Karen Read. C.F. McCarthy’s and The Waterfall, the two bars named by the lawsuit, had also asked for a stay in proceedings arguing that their resources would be spread too thin since their witnesses would be participating in the civil trial. Judge White denied their request.
