John O'Keefe's family files wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read

The family of Boston police officer John O'Keefe has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read, days after a judge refused to drop charges against her.

The filing, received by Court TV on August 26, names Karen Read, Waterfall Bar & Grille and CF McCarthy's as defendants and calls for a jury trial.

Karen Read sits with her legal team in court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)

The lawsuit details Read's actions the night of O'Keefe's death, including that CF McCarthy's served her seven drinks and allowed her to leave the establishment with one alcoholic beverage. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Waterfall Bar & Grille served Read even though she was showing signs of intoxication.

The filing also accuses Read of knowingly hitting O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving her to die. It also details Read's actions on Jan. 29, including visiting “the grieving home (of O'Keefe's family) where she (O'Keefe's family) feigned comfort and took the opportunity to, among other things, remove the murder weapon and her vehicle and/or destroy relevant evidence.”

The plaintiffs, including O'Keefe's niece, claim that the restaurants and Read caused O'Keefe's death and emotional distress.

In July, Judge Beverly Cannone declared Read's trial void after the jury insisted it could not reach a unanimous verdict. Read was charged with first-degree murder, intoxicated manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death.

In the weeks that followed, the defense filed several motions claiming it had been contacted by jurors who insisted they had unanimously agreed to find Read not guilty of murder and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Even the prosecution filed a memo with the court stating that people posing as jurors had told them the same thing.

After a hearing earlier this month, Cannone declined to drop charges against Read, setting up a retrial of the case in January.