The former Massachusetts State Trooper who was fired for sending inappropriate messages about Karen Read during a murder investigation is scheduled to appear in a deposition in one of her cases involving a lawsuit that accuses him of more inappropriate behavior. 

Michael Proctor is working to delay his deposition, currently scheduled for one of the many multiple civil lawsuits that Read has going after she was cleared of murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. 

Karen Read Murder Trials

Read faced the music in two trials, with the first one ending in a deadlocked jury over the manslaughter charge, and the second trial, where she was acquitted of all charges except for driving while intoxicated.

During Read’s criminal trial, prosecutors argued that while she was driving intoxicated, she became angry with the victim and hit him with her SUV and left him to die in the snow outside of a fellow police officer’s home. 

Her defense team worked tirelessly to defend her innocence, which she maintains to this day. They alleged she was a part of a greater scheme, a cover-up involving Boston police officers and other individuals who were inside the home that night.

Pending Civil Lawsuits

Read has two civil lawsuits pending, with one in federal court accusing the civilians who testified at her trial of lying and claiming O’Keefe never entered the home, and accusing them of being responsible for his death.

The second lawsuit was filed against the Town of Canton and the Massachusetts State Police, accusing the leadership of both entities of failing to properly train and supervise their officers.

Civil Cases

Read is also the subject matter of two pending civil cases. The first was filed by the O’Keefe family, which accuses her of wrongful death in their loved one’s passing. The other one is filed by the group of people who serve as the plaintiffs in her federal lawsuit, in which Read is accused of defamation.

Deposition in Wrongful Death Suit

In light of all these intersecting cases, one of the key witnesses from Read’s trial has filed a protective order to avoid giving a deposition. Michael Proctor was the lead investigator on O’Keefe’s murder case, and at the first trial, he admitted to sending several inappropriate test messages where he referred to Read as a “nutbag” with “no a–”. 

The most recent lawsuit filed on June 5, 2026, against the Massachusetts State Police includes new allegations against Proctor, such as text messages targeting minorities in a negative format. 

Proctor was scheduled to give testimony at a deposition scheduled on June 8 in the wrongful death lawsuit that O’Keefe’s family filed, but was stopped after Read’s lawsuit was filed late last week with more allegations against him. 

“Mr. Proctor is not a party to this matter,” his attorney wrote in the motion to stop the deposition. “He is — at best — a mere fact witness.” The motion also notes he needs additional time to prepare due to “personal circumstances.”

Motion to Delay Deposition

Judge Mark Gildea, who is presiding over the defamation and wrongful death lawsuit, weighed his options on granting the motion and expressed his frustration to both sets of attorneys. “For this case to proceed efficiently, and for our system of justice to work, certain basic things have to happen,” Gildea said. 

“A subpoena needs to mean something. A lawyer’s agreement needs to have meaning. Lawyers need to communicate with their clients. Clients need to keep their attorneys informed.”

Deposition Stayed

Gildea ordered the deposition stay for 48 hours, but told Proctor’s team to provide more information on why the delay is necessary. He also reprimanded Read’s attorney for their part, assuming it was a part of a greater scheme.

“I followed up with [Read’s attorney] with his reference to strategically preparing for the deposition because I read in the media of an appearance on the Today show Friday morning, where Ms. Read said filing her new civil lawsuit was always a part of the plan she had,” Gildea said. 

“Although there is no duty for Ms. Read’s counsel to have informed Mr. Proctor’s counsel of the intent to file the most recently filed Bristol County action, I think it is unreasonable to not have done so with a scheduled deposition pending, and then to have filed such an action four (4) days before the scheduled deposition.”

Proctor’s attorneys submitted an affidavit and medical information to explain the reason for the delay, along with a motion to impound both pieces of information, saying they “contain private information concerning Mr. Proctor’s medical condition.”

Trial dates in any of the civil action cases have yet to be scheduled.