After Acquittal, Karen Read Sues Cops Over Racist Culture and Hidden Evidence

Karen Read’s legal fight doesn’t end with her acquittal. The Massachusetts woman recently cleared of murdering her late cop boyfriend John O’Keefe is now turning her sights on the police departments she says orchestrated a biased investigation filled with racist, sexist, and bigoted officers.

According to her lawsuit filed in June 2026, Read claims the Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police Department have fostered an“insidious culture of bigotry and misogyny”that compromised the entire case against her. The lawsuit specifically names former MSP Detective Michael Proctor, who led the investigation, and former CPD Sergeant Sean Goode, alleging both men harbored“entrenched and unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs, and gay people.”

The allegations paint a disturbing picture of what Read’s legal team says was hidden from public view. According to the suit, Proctor allegedly made statements including“Actually, take your time, I saw a n***** was involved, so I wouldn’t rush if you’re working. Let them die.”The complaint also details messages from Goode containing ethnic and religious slurs. Perhaps most striking, Proctor is said to have expressed admiration for Hitler, claiming“America sucks…. Hitler was really on to something then the f***ing US had to step in and ruin it.”These are just some of the alleged messages the lawsuit claims were concealed by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

The consequences for the accused officers themselves have been mixed. Proctor was fired last March over misconduct tied to Read’s case. Goode recently resigned amid an internal affairs investigation for alleged misconduct. Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the MSP acknowledged the allegations are“disturbing”and“entirely inconsistent”with state police standards, stating that the comments“absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks.”

For Read, the lawsuit represents more than personal vindication—it’s a challenge to systemic problems she argues go far beyond her own experience. The complaint suggests the department’s culture may have“resulted in other unconstitutional criminal investigations,”raising questions about how many other cases might have been compromised by the same officers and the same alleged bias. Read’s legal action is essentially saying: an acquittal in court is one thing, but accountability for the system itself is another.