By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Massachusetts State Police has agreed to pay Karen Read $100,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging negligent hiring, training and supervision of officers, the Boston Herald reported.
- The amount is the cap on damages under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, and MSP asked the court to enter judgment for that sum.
- Read’s attorneys agreed to the amount but said she does not accept that her harm was limited to $100,000, and that she is pursuing similar claims in other courts.
- Her suit also named the Canton Police Department and focused on former MSP Detective Michael Proctor and former Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode.
- Read was acquitted of murder in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, though she was convicted of drunken driving.
BOSTON — The Massachusetts State Police has agreed to pay Karen Read $100,000 to settle her lawsuit against the agency, according to court filings reported by the Boston Herald.
Read sued the State Police and the Canton Police Department for negligence and civil conspiracy under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, which caps damages at $100,000. She alleged negligent hiring, training and supervision of what she called biased and corrupt officers. In a filing last week, a lawyer for the State Police said her claims for declaratory relief were barred, and that only her tort claims remained. The filing asked the court to enter judgment against the agency for the $100,000 maximum.
Read’s lawyers agreed to the amount but said she does not admit that she suffered only $100,000 in damages. They said they understood the State Police’s position to rest solely on the statutory cap, not on the actual harm to her, and noted that she is pursuing similar claims and related relief in other court venues.
Read was charged with murder in the death of O’Keefe, her boyfriend at the time, whose body was found in the snow outside a Canton home on Jan. 29, 2022. Over two trials that ended last summer, she was acquitted of all charges except drunken driving. Her attorneys alleged a law enforcement conspiracy to frame her and to protect others they say were responsible. Her lawsuit focused on former State Police Det. Michael Proctor and former Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, alleging their involvement at the outset contaminated the investigation. The State Police fired Proctor last year.
In its settlement filing, the State Police condemned what it called racist, sexist and abhorrent messages quoted in Read’s complaint, saying they do not reflect the agency’s values and are not tolerated. The agency said it is committed to upholding its standards and strengthening accountability.