Maximum $100K Tort Claims Act Payment: Karen Read Paid by Massachusetts State Police Over Wrongful Prosecution

Settlement ends civil claim

Massachusetts State Police agreed to pay Read $100,000 to settle her allegations of investigative misconduct. The amount represents the maximum payment available under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act.

The department said an agreement would spare taxpayers the expense of extended litigation. It also said it would work to improve investigative methods and training, and ensure investigations are impartial and based on facts.

Case centered on O’Keefe’s death

O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, was discovered unconscious in snow outside an officer’s home in Canton on January 29, 2022. Read had dropped him at a party there hours earlier, and he later died in hospital from head injuries.

Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury in 2024. In June 2025, she was acquitted of murder and manslaughter but convicted of drunken driving.

Former investigator criticized

Read’s lawsuit singled out Michael Proctor, the former Massachusetts State Police trooper who led the criminal investigation. It accused him of being unfit for public trust. Proctor acknowledged that messages were “unprofessional.” He was suspended without pay after the first trial ended, then dismissed by state police in March 2025.

Family lawsuit remains pending

O’Keefe’s relatives separately allege that Read hit him with her SUV while driving drunk and left him in the snow. They say he died from his injuries and hypothermia, and accuse Read of inventing a police-cover-up claim that caused them emotional distress.

The family also alleges that two Canton bars served Read alcohol despite signs she was intoxicated. On the day of the settlement, Netflix released a trailer for a docuseries about the death and Read’s trials, featuring interviews with relatives, jurors and prosecution experts.