State Police to Pay Karen Read $100,000 in Civil Settlement

The Massachusetts State Police will pay Karen Read $100,000 to resolve a civil lawsuit she filed against the agency in June. This payment settles claims that the department’s hiring processes were defective, leading to the retention of officers who Read’s lawyers argue harbored deep-seated biases during the investigation of her criminal case.

The settlement figure is the maximum amount allowed under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act. A filing from the agency on Nov. 2 stated that because the statute provides the exclusive remedy for her claims, the agency consented to judgment for that specific sum. The agency also noted that Read lacks standing for other claims, which must now be dismissed.

Read, 46, was acquitted of second-degree murder in June 2025. Prosecutors had alleged she backed her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, on Jan. 29, 2022. Her legal team maintained she was framed and that O’Keefe was beaten by a German Shepherd before his body was moved to the front lawn of a Canton home.

The civil complaint named two specific officers: Michael Proctor, a former State Police trooper who led the investigation, and Sean Goode, a former Canton police sergeant who responded to the scene. The lawsuit described the pair as inveterate bigots based on years of private text messages obtained through court orders. Proctor was hired by the State Police in 2013 and fired in March 2025 after reading crude messages about Read during her first trial, which ended in a hung jury.

Aaron Rosenberg, Read’s attorney, filed a response on Nov. 2 consenting to the dismissal of claims against the State Police for the $100,000 payment. Rosenberg stated this move avoids duplicative litigation. He added that Read does not waive any claims or defenses against any individual or entity in this case or other proceedings.

Claims against the Town of Canton remain active in the suit. The lawsuit alleges both agencies knew or should have known about the officers' biases. Goode resigned from the Canton force days before Read filed the suit. The agency stated on Nov. 2 that it unequivocally condemns the racist and sexist messages quoted in the complaint, noting they do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police.

This civil action is one of several pending in the legal aftermath of the O’Keefe death. Other cases include a wrongful death suit against Read by O’Keefe’s family, a suit by others against Read and a blogger for false implication, and a federal suit by Read against witnesses and investigators for alleged collusion.