After months of refusing to provide records on a police officer who was accused of sexual assault, the town of Natick has paid WBUR more than $22,000 in a lawsuit settlement. It's the latest example of a Massachusetts city paying out big, after being sued for ignoring or rejecting a request for public records.

Ally Jarmanning is a senior reporter for WBUR. She joins The Common to talk about why municipalities continue to withhold public records despite knowing they may have to pay, and how this practice can make it difficult for private citizens to obtain important information about their public institutions.

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