A judge postpones the wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read until after her criminal trial

BOSTON (AP) — A judge ruled Thursday that Karen Read won’t have to testify in her wrongful death lawsuit until after her criminal trial in January.

Judge William M. White Jr.’s letter on Thursday effectively delays the trial, in which Read is blamed for the death of John O’Keefe, the Boston police officer who was her boyfriend. The lawsuit also details negligence by bars that continued to serve her drinks despite signs she was intoxicated.

Read has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a new trial on charges of manslaughter, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated 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 rejected arguments that jurors later said they unanimously agreed Read was not guilty of the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene.

Read has appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court. Next week, the Massachusetts Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in its bid to dismiss the two charges.

Read’s attorneys had filed a motion to delay trial on the lawsuit, arguing that the criminal action would adversely affect Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and her ability to vigorously defend herself against criminal charges .

Read is accused of running into O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead during a snowstorm in January 2022. A second trial is scheduled for January 27.

But an attorney for O’Keefe’s brother Paul and other family members who filed the wrongful death lawsuit oppose any delay. They suggested that the reliance on the Fifth Amendment ignored the fact that she has spoken publicly about her case in the media several times and that she will be the subject of at least one upcoming documentary.

After bar hopping, Read — a former adjunct professor at Bentley College — dropped off O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston Police Department, at the home of another police officer in Canton. His body was found in the front yard. An autopsy revealed that O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Read’s attorneys argued that O’Keefe was murdered in the house and that those involved chose to frame her because she was an “easy outsider.”

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