Current:Home > NewsSurpassing:Karen Read seeks delay in wrongful death lawsuit until her trial on murder and other charges is done -GrowthInsight
Surpassing:Karen Read seeks delay in wrongful death lawsuit until her trial on murder and other charges is done
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-06 18:14:28
BOSTON (AP) — Karen Read is Surpassingseeking to delay a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of her Boston police officer boyfriend until her criminal trial in connection with his death is done.
The lawsuit filed last month blames the death of John O’Keefe on Read, and also on what it describes as negligence by bars that continued to serve drinks to her despite signs she was drunk. It says the first bar served her seven alcoholic drinks in about 90 minutes the night of Jan. 28, 2022, and that Read carried the last drink into the second bar, where she was served a shot and a mixed alcoholic drink within an hour.
Read’s attorneys on Wednesday filed a motion to delay a trial on the lawsuit until after her criminal trial. Read is accused of ramming into John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a January 2022 snowstorm. Her two-month trial ended in July when a judge declared a mistrial, and a second trial is scheduled for Jan. 27.
“A stay is appropriate here, where proceeding with this civil action at the same time as the criminal action will adversely affect Ms. Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and her ability to vigorously defense herself from criminal prosecution,” her lawyers wrote in the motion, adding that her requested stay is “minimal and not prejudicial” since the wrongful death lawsuit is not expected to be finished until at least August 2027.
But an attorney for O’Keefe’s brother, Paul, and other relatives who filed the lawsuit oppose any delays and suggested the reliance on the Fifth Amendment ignored the fact she has has spoken publicly about her case several times to the media and will be subject of at least one upcoming documentary.
“Ms. Read consistently and voluntarily disregards her Fifth Amendment privilege as she attempts to craft her own narrative and poison the jury pool for both her criminal and civil cases,” Paul O’Keefe’s attorney, Marc Diller, wrote. “In light of her open willingness to speak publicly, Ms. Read’s current reliance on her Fifth Amendment right to silence appears to be less about avoiding self-incrimination and more about 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, the Waterfall Bar & Grill and C.F. McCarthy’s as defendants. It asks for a jury trial.
Read has pleaded not guilty and awaits a Jan. 27 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 dismissed arguments that jurors later said they had unanimously agreed Read wasn’t guilty on the charges of murder and leaving the scene.
After the bar-hopping, Read — a former adjunct professor at Bentley College — dropped off O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police, 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 outsider.”
The lawsuit says Read and O’Keefe had been arguing and that she knew she had hit him with her SUV before returning to his home. It alleges that she woke up his 14-year-old niece several hours later saying that something had happened to O’Keefe and that he might have been hit by her or a snow plow.
veryGood! (31)
Related
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- 3 dead after possible hostage situation in Sacramento, including the shooter
- Jets' Aaron Rodgers Shares Update After Undergoing Surgery for Torn Achilles
- Ashton Kutcher Resigns as Chairman of Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organization After Danny Masterson Letter
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Family sues police after man was fatally shot by officers responding to wrong house
- A Jan. 6 rioter was convicted and sentenced in secret. No one will say why
- Corey Taylor talks solo album, rails against AI as threat to 'ingenuity in our souls'
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Climate change could bring more storms like Hurricane Lee to New England
Ranking
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has heart surgery, Phil Martelli is interim coach
- Prince Harry Is Royally Flushed After His Invictus Family Sings Happy Birthday to Him
- Remains exhumed from a Tulsa cemetery as the search for 1921 Race Massacre victims has resumed
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Maren Morris gives pointed response to 'toxic' criticisms in new EP 'The Bridge'
- Afghan NGO says it’s working with the UN for the quick release of 18 staff detained by the Taliban
- The teen mental health crisis is now urgent: Dr. Lisa Damour on 5 Things podcast
Recommendation
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Latino voters want Biden to take more aggressive action on immigration, polls find
A Georgia state senator indicted with Trump won’t be suspended from office while the case is ongoing
Former top US diplomat sentenced in Qatar lobbying scheme
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
The Blind Side’s Tuohy Family Says They Never Intended to Adopt Michael Oher
Artifacts found in Israel were used by professional sorcerers in magical rituals 4 centuries ago
California dolphins were swimming in magical waves with a beautiful blue glow. Here's what caused it.