Who killed John O’Keefe? Family presses judge to demand more evidence from Karen Read
Lawyers representing the family of John O’Keefe in the wrongful death lawsuit they are pursuing against Karen Read are asking a judge to force Read to give more information to support her claims that someone other than her is responsible for O’Keefe’s death .
But Read’s lawyers say she has provided all the information she can, and again cast blame at investigators for not doing enough to determine what happened to the Boston police officer.
The dispute comes over Read’s answer to an interrogatory — a set of written questions sent by lawyers for the O’Keefe family to Read’s team. The interrogatory sought specific information from Read about her claims that the people inside the Canton home where O’Keefe was found were responsible for his death.
The wrongful death lawsuit accuses Read of killing O’Keefe, whom she was dating at the time of his death, by running him over with her SUV. Read was cleared of criminal charges connected to the death earlier this year.
Read is pursuing a separate lawsuit against those people in Bristol Superior Court claiming they violated her civil rights. Those suits could be combined down the road.
The O’Keefe family claims Read’s answer to the interrogatory offers “improper objections and evasive, unsupported accusations.”
“The Court should not permit Ms. Read to shield critical information while simultaneously leveraging it in public and in pleadings,” their motion reads. “Justice and the integrity of the discovery process require that Ms. Read either disclose the identities and facts supporting her defense or clearly admit she cannot do so. Anything less undermines the fairness owed to all litigants.”
But Read’s lawyers claim that a supplemental answer they provided after the O’Keefe family’s attorneys raised an issue with the initial answer should have led to the withdrawal of the motion seeking more information. They also claim that they attempted to schedule a conference with the family’s lawyers to discuss the issues, but were turned down.
“Plaintiffs’ refusal to confer with Read’s counsel and attempt to narrow the issues of disagreement and potentially resolve this discovery dispute alone warrants the motion being denied,” Read’s lawyers wrote, adding that it was the “latest attempt to use the Court to launder incorrect information about Read to the media and public.”
Read’s lawyers go on to say that since discovery in the suit has just begun, it is impossible for her to provide more specific information about what happened to O’Keefe.
In the answer to the interrogatory, Read claims the “truth about what happened to Mr. O’Keefe has been deliberately obscured,” but that, based on the information and evidence available to her, she believes O’Keefe was killed in the house at 34 Fairview Road in Canton.
Still, she said she does not know “which specific individual or individuals within the house fatally wounded Mr. O’Keefe.”
Those inside the house at the time, who are not parties to the wrongful death action, have, through their lawyers, denied any wrongdoing or involvement in O’Keefe’s death .
Lawyers for his family claim they are “eager to learn under oath anything that would lead to justice for John O’Keefe,” but that Read has to provide specific information if she wants to present an affirmative defense in the case. They objected to the supplementary answer to the interrogatory, writing in a reply that Read “cannot make blanket conclusory statements” about what happened under the rules for civil cases in Massachusetts.
“Read and her team not only have leaked evidence that now appears inconsistent with the under oath answer signed by Ms. Read, but also have stated publicly that she has evidence to suggest John O’Keefe was killed inside the house,” their filing reads.
The O’Keefe family seeks a hearing on the issue, while Read’s team is asking for the motion to be denied on the papers. A status hearing in the lawsuit is set for 2 p.m. on Friday on Zoom, though Read’s team has asked for it to be held in person, which could force it to be rescheduled.
Karen Read wrongful death lawsuit
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
