The family of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday against Karen Read and the two bars that served her the night she is alleged to have hit O’Keefe with her car.
John O’Keefe’s brother Paul, his father John O’Keefe II, Mother Margaret O’Keefe and niece Kayley Furbush are listed as the plaintiffs in the case against C&C Hospitality dba as CF McCarthy’s, Waterfall Bar & Grill and Karen Read are listed as the defendants in the lawsuit.
The suit alleges that CF McCarthys’s served seven alcoholic beverages to Read in about 90 minutes on January 28, 2022, and allowed her to carry her last drink out of the bar and take it with her to the Waterfall Bar, where she was served two more alcoholic drinks over the next 90 minutes.
According to the suit, a clearly intoxicated Read was allowed to leave the bar and drive without anyone intervening or offering a designated driver, ride share or cab to Read.
Read then drove boyfriend John O’Keefe to Brian Albert’s house where she got into an argument with O’Keefe, ultimately striking him with her vehicle and leaving him for dead.
Read then allegedly returned to O’Keefe’s house and confessed to Kayley Furbush that she hit O’Keefe with her car and left him at the scene. She then attempted to cover up her actions by conducting a search for O’Keefe with friends.
Read’s blood alcohol levels were between .13 and .29 when her blood was tested hours after the alleged murder, putting her well above the .08 BAC legal limit to drive a motor vehicle.
Both bars are accused of gross negligence in their involvement in the events leading to O’Keefe’s death. Among the many accusations against them, they are accused of violating their own training and over serving Read to the point where she was a danger to others.
The O’Keefes are seeking judgment against all defendants plus costs, compensatory and punitive damages, lost value to next of kin and any other relief the Court deems appropriate.
Kare Read stood trial for the death of John O’Keefe in the spring and early summer of 2024, which resulted in a hung jury. Read’s initial defense has been that she was framed for the murder of O’Keefe by Brian Albert, Colin Albert and Brian Higgins, a man she had kissed at O’Keefe’s home and had been flirting with.
Read’s second trial for the murder is set for January 2025.
