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A wrongful death civil lawsuit filed in Massachusetts state court this month by the estate and family of fallen Boston police officer John O’Keefe alleges that his then-girlfriend, Karen Reed, caused O’Keefe’s death more than two years ago by “driving while intoxicated…dangerous driving.”
The lawsuit alleges that Reed engaged in gross negligence that resulted in O’Keefe suffering “severe physical and mental injuries,” pain and suffering, “imminent fear of death, loss of income, medical expenses, funeral expenses and burial costs,” and death.
The lawsuit, filed in Plymouth County Superior Court, came after Reed’s criminal trial ended in July after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the murder and other charges. A Norfolk County Superior Court judge issued a mistrial and a second trial is scheduled to begin in January.
The wrongful death lawsuit also names as defendants two Canton, Massachusetts, bars, CF McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar and Grill, alleging that they negligently sold alcohol to Reed in the hours or minutes before the injuries that led to O’Keefe’s death.
Reed is accused of driving drunk and striking and killing O’Keefe in front of a Canton home on a snowy night in January 2022, where he was partying with other off-duty officers. Reed had pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash.
CNN has identified the attorneys representing her in her civil lawsuit and has reached out to them for comment, as well as both bar associations.
The criminal case against Reed has divided the Massachusetts community over allegations of a widespread police cover-up and investigative misconduct. Reed’s lawyers have argued that Reed was set up and that O’Keefe was beaten by people inside the home and taken outside to her death.
Family members claim Reid started the argument and was jealous.
O’Keefe’s family alleges in the lawsuit that O’Keefe’s relationship with Reed deteriorated in the weeks and days leading up to O’Keefe’s death on Jan. 29, 2022.
“Reed had been quarrelsome, jealous and had delusions of infidelity,” the lawsuit states. “On or about January 28, 2022, Defendant Reed knew that his relationship with (Ms. O’Keefe) had ended.”
According to the complaint, Reed and O’Keefe were at CF McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar & Grill in Canton on the evening of January 28, 2022. McCarthy’s served Reed seven alcoholic drinks between 8:58 pm and 10:29 pm, and Reed showed signs of being intoxicated, according to the complaint. Reed left McCarthy’s with one drink, according to court documents.
When Reed went to the second bar, she entered with the drinks she had at McCarthy’s and also showed signs of intoxication, according to the lawsuit. Reed had one shot and one mixed drink at the Waterfall, the lawsuit alleges.
According to the lawsuit, Reed and O’Keefe left Waterfall within a minute of each other shortly after midnight on Jan. 29, 2022, and Reed drove O’Keefe to his Canton home where the party was taking place. “Defendant Reed was drinking alcohol and was unable to safely operate a motor vehicle,” court documents allege.
The lawsuit also alleges that Reed and O’Keefe got into an argument that night, and that after they arrived at the party and O’Keefe got out of Reed’s car, Reed drove his SUV into her, hitting her, knocking her to the ground in front of her home and leaving the scene.
She did so knowing it was snowing and “a blizzard was looming” and should have known that leaving O’Keefe “outside in the blizzard would likely result in serious injury or death,” the lawsuit states.
According to the complaint, around 4:30 a.m. that day, Reed learned she had hit her boyfriend with her SUV and woke up O’Keefe’s 14-year-old niece to tell her about the death.
Reid then returned to the house where the party was being held, only to find O’Keefe “lying on the ground, severely wounded and buried in snow” – Reid had left O’Keefe “to die a few hours earlier.”
The estate and O’Keefe’s family are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The lawsuit also alleges negligent infliction of emotional stress.
John O’Keefe’s brother, Paul O’Keefe, is suing on behalf of the estate and in his personal capacity, and is joined in the lawsuit by John’s father and mother.
The lawsuit alleges that the bar was negligent in serving alcohol to Reed because “the bar knew or should have known that Reed was in an intoxicated state” at the time the alcohol was served.
Prosecutors alleged the couple had been arguing and she had stood over him.
Prior to the criminal trial several months ago, court documents filed in the case described the events leading up to O’Keefe’s death: On the evening of January 28, 2022, Reed and O’Keefe went out drinking with friends at two bars, and just after midnight, the two got into Reed’s SUV and headed to the home of O’Keefe’s fellow Boston police officer for an afterparty.
Authorities said O’Keefe’s body was found bruised and beaten in the snow outside the home that morning. Prosecutors allege that Reed and O’Keefe had been arguing that night and that she was drunk and hit him with her car, then fled the scene, leaving him to die in the cold.
“The body of facts and evidence here inescapably show that the defendant reversed his vehicle 62.5 feet at 24.2 miles per hour, striking Mr. O’Keefe, inflicting horrific head injuries and leaving Mr. O’Keefe incapacitated and frozen to death,” Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally said during closing arguments in the criminal trial in late June.
In contrast, Reed’s defense lawyers at trial charged that off-duty police officers were inside O’Keefe’s home, beat him to death, dumped his body on the lawn, and then conspired to fabricate evidence and give false testimony to frame Reed.
“Folks, there was a cover-up in this case, it’s crystal clear,” said Alan Jackson, who represented Reid at his criminal trial. “I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘I don’t want to believe it, I don’t want to believe this could happen in our community,’ but sadly, over the last eight weeks, you’ve seen it right in front of your eyes.”
CNN’s Dakin Andone and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.