Massachusetts State and Local Agencies Fined for Keeping Public Records Secret

Written By Celia Ffrench

by Ally Jarmanning and Todd Wallack, WBUR, September 21, 2023

A 2017 change in the Massachusetts public records law has resulted in agencies paying out large sums after ignoring or rejecting public records requests.

“It sends a message to the government agencies that they can't continue playing games with the public's right-to-know without any kind of consequence,” Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, told WBUR.

Examples include:

  • The town of Natick has paid WBUR more than $22,000 to settle a lawsuit after refusing for months to provide records on a police officer accused of sexually assaulting a dispatcher. 

  • Worcester paid the Telegram & Gazette $180,000 after a judge ruled the city illegally withheld records of police misconduct investigations, plus $5,000 in punitive damages.

  • The city of Boston agreed in one settlement to pay $75,000 to the nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights—and promised to clear the city's public records backlog within six months.

Celia Ffrench
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