In a nearly 40-minute interview on The Howie Carr Show, Read and her defense lawyer, Alan Jackson, took turns discussing future possibilities.
Jackson said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to the possibility of filing civil lawsuits. Read’s legal team has been meeting to discuss whether to file in state or federal court, and how to overcome “qualified immunity,” which protects the DA’s office and other state agencies from being sued.
“The question becomes whether or not there is a legal standard that we can overcome to actually prosecute a civil case against them,” Jackson said. “We’re considering all options.”
In June, a jury acquitted Read of charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. She was convicted of misdemeanor OUI and received a year’s probation.
Prosecutors argued that Read was drunk and enraged when she intentionally backed her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe on Jan. 29, 2022.
During the radio interview, Read said that over the course of her four-year prosecution, she lost a job that she cherished, had to sell her house to pay for the second trial, and is now living with her parents. She still hasn’t gotten her SUV back from the DA’s office.
Read said that even if she could return to her old job, that is not her likely path forward.
“I have other things I need to do in terms of illuminating what I’ve seen the last four years,” she said.
“I’d like a book out there,” Read said. “There’s just a lot more to tell. A lot of what it took to fight this that was behind closed doors.”
As for TV, Read said she was just as surprised as anyone when the news broke Wednesday that actor and director Elizabeth Banks will portray Read in an upcoming Amazon Prime Video series about the criminal legal saga that ended in acquittal.
“I have nothing to do with that,” Read said. “It is not authorized by me in any way.”
Read’s story is a worthy one to tell, Jackson said, but it needs to be done accurately and meaningfully.
“This is Karen Read’s story to tell,” Jackson said. “It’s not Hollywood’s story to make up, and to fill in blanks that they want to fill in, and to take a poetic license.”
“It is a little bit of a shame that she was never even consulted, never even contacted,” Jackson added.
As for legal compensation, how much might Read seek when she sues, Carr wanted to know.
“Her reputation has been dragged through the mud because of these allegations,” Jackson said. “How much is that worth?”
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
