Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Karen Read, Turtleboy facing defamation lawsuit from witnesses in her murder case
“These lies have torn our community apart and caused immense suffering,” Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins said.
Four witnesses who faced a media firestorm over their involvement in Karen Read’s sensational murder case filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Read and Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney of a “multi-year conspiracy” to defame and “torment” them.
Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins allege the pair “orchestrated a coordinated campaign” to falsely implicate them in the 2022 death of Read’s boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.
Prosecutors had accused Read of drunkenly backing her SUV into O’Keefe, who was found unresponsive outside Brian Albert’s Canton home following a house party early on Jan. 29, 2022. Read and her lawyers staunchly maintained she was framed, pointing instead to Brian Albert, his sister-in-law McCabe, his nephew Colin, and his friend Higgins.
Previously:
-
Karen Read case: Alberts, McCabes, Higgins eyeing defamation claims against Read and Turtleboy
-
‘His killer, or killers, still walk free’: Karen Read files lawsuit alleging coverup in death of John O’Keefe
-
‘Work of conspiratorial fiction’: Witnesses in Karen Read case ask judge to toss her federal lawsuit
Kearney, the de facto face of the “Free Karen Read” movement, promoted the defense team’s coverup claims and is facing witness intimidation charges for his confrontational reporting on the case. Authorities also found that Read spent hours on the phone with Kearney and allegedly leaked him non-public information leading up to her 2024 mistrial.
Advertisement:
Jurors in Read’s retrial acquitted her of murder and manslaughter charges the following year, convicting her only of a drunk driving misdemeanor. No one else has been charged with killing O’Keefe.
McCabe, Higgins, and the Alberts “are now and have always been entirely innocent of any involvement in O’Keefe’s tragic death,” their lawsuit states.
In a joint statement, the witnesses said they have long “done the right thing” by working with authorities “in the hope that John’s family would find justice and peace.”
Advertisement:
“As a result, we and our families have been subjected to relentless false accusations, harassment, and intimidation based on a deliberate campaign of lies,” they added. “These lies have torn our community apart and caused immense suffering. We are bringing this lawsuit to hold the defendants accountable for what they have done to us, the O’Keefe family, and our community. In doing so, we hope to protect future witnesses from experiencing the devastation and cruelty that we have endured.”
Read’s civil defense attorneys fired back in a statement of their own, arguing the witnesses’ lawsuit was about retaliation, not truth.
“After years of scrutiny, cross-examination, sworn testimony, and the introduction of extensive evidence related to them in open court, these plaintiffs are now trying to rewrite the narrative through a civil complaint filled with accusations that are unproven, conclusions that are unsupported, and allegations that lack any factual basis,” the defense team alleged. “In other words, it’s desperation on a page.”
Deriding the lawsuit as less of a legal claim and more of a “systematic campaign of misinformation and falsehoods,” Read’s lawyers said they look forward to addressing the complaint in court with the plaintiffs under oath.
Advertisement:
Mark Bederow, an attorney representing Kearney in his pending witness intimidation cases, likewise said the blogger “has been aware of this possibility for a long time” and will defend himself “vigorously.”
“This lawsuit is the latest attempt to relitigate the question of whether Karen Read was responsible for John O’Keefe’s death, which the scientific and credible evidence clearly establishes she wasn’t,” he said in a statement. “Truth is an absolute defense to defamation and this move by the plaintiffs will afford Mr. Kearney the forum to explain exactly why he said what he said about who allegedly is responsible for Mr. O’Keefe’s death and the alleged cover up.”
Added Kearney co-counsel Tim Bradl: “In essence, the plaintiffs have invited Mr. Kearney to defend the suit by prosecuting them in civil court for the murder of John O’Keefe.”
Read previously sued several witnesses and investigators she claims “concocted a plan” to frame her, including Brian Albert and Jennifer McCabe, their respective spouses, and Brian Higgins. That lawsuit remains pending in federal court. Separately, Read still faces a wrongful death suit from O’Keefe’s family.
With Thursday’s complaint, the Alberts, McCabe, and Higgins bring claims of defamation, civil conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among others.
Advertisement:
“Our clients testified bravely and publicly because it was the right thing to do,” said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “When witnesses are abused and defamed simply for doing their civic duty, their lives are shattered and our entire justice system is put at risk. This lawsuit seeks to right those wrongs.”
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address