Journalist Files Suit Against MA DA Over Police Misconduct Records

NORTON, MA — A new lawsuit filed this week against Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn charges that his office violated the state public records law by withholding information about police misconduct.

It's the second such suit filed by Mass Dump publisher Andrew Quemere. Last month, Quemere took legal action against the Northwestern District Attorney's Office seeking the release of the "Brady list," a term used to describe records kept by prosecutors about police who have been criminally charged or otherwise accused of misconduct.

The list had been released but redacted the names of over 30 officers, as well as court docket numbers in cases where officers were charged.

Quemere requested the records from both DA's offices in early 2022. The DAs claimed that the names of officers accused of crimes are protected by the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information statute. However, according to Quemere, a 2020 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling found that arrest reports of police officers and other public officials cannot be withheld under this law.

Quemere filed three appeals over the redactions with the state's supervisor of records. Then-Supervisor of Public Records Rebecca Murray found that the DAs should turn over the names, but both DAs refused to provide the unredacted records.

Mary Lee, a Bristol County assistant district attorney, wrote that the records of officers exonerated in a misconduct investigation are classified as personnel records.

Quemere’s lawsuit alleges that this and related arguments are erroneous.

“When it comes to police misconduct, the public has a right to know how internal investigations are conducted,” Mason Kortz, Quemere’s attorney, said in a statement. “This is true regardless of the outcome of the investigation — after all, the public has a strong interest in knowing who is not being held accountable for potential misconduct.”

Quemere said other Massachusetts DAs have released Brady list information, including those in Middlesex and Essex counties.

Quemere filed the suit against Quinn in Suffolk County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The full lawsuit is available here.

See related: Lawsuit Demands MA DA Release Police Misconduct Records