The state Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against the Hampden District Attorney's Office.
The court found the DA's office violated its duties in investigating and disclosing exculpatory evidence when reporting misconduct by officers in the Springfield Police Department.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in the wake of a 2020 US Department of Justice report that found a pattern of excessive force and related problems within the police agency's narcotics division.
District Attorney Anthony Gulluni expressed disappointment at the ruling, but said his office will turn over thousands of pages of materials to defense attorneys as soon as possible.