SPRINGFIELD — On one side of the courtroom, 13 current and former Springfield police officers sat on benches Thursday afternoon, waiting to be arraigned on criminal charges.
On the other side of the courtroom, Paul Cumby, 51, sat with his lawyers, a few rows behind about a dozen demonstrators who had come to protest police misconduct.
In April 2015, prosecutors allege Cumby and three other men were beaten outside Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant by six off-duty Springfield officers and the bar’s owner.
Eight other current and former officers are accused of trying to cover up the incident. Seven of them were in court Thursday.
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The arraignment in Hampden Superior Court marked a major milestone in a case that has hung over the Springfield police force for four years, resulting in criminal investigations by several agencies and two federal civil rights lawsuits that the city settled last fall for $885,000.
A clerk magistrate conducted 11 of the arraignments Thursday, calling each officer to the dock one by one. Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney handled the proceedings for the remaining two officers because their lawyers wanted her to consider a request for records.
None of the officers spoke publicly in court as their lawyers entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. The defendants were released without bail and ordered to stay away from the alleged victims: Cumby, his two cousins, and their friend. The officers still employed by Springfield police have been suspended without pay. Their next court date is June 18.
Lawyers for the two officers arraigned by Sweeney, Daniel Billingsley, 30, and Jameson Williams, 33, have vowed to offer a vigorous defense, saying the alleged victims were the aggressors.
Attorney Joe Smith III, who handled civil litigation on behalf of Cumby’s cousins and their friend, rejected those allegations and said he was gratified to see the officers in court.
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“It feels really good,” Smith said outside the courtroom. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Smith’s clients are Jozelle and Jackie Ligon and Michael Cintron.
Attorney Michelle Cruz, who represents Cumby, said in a statement that her client is hopeful the city police department “has turned a corner and will implement meaningful reforms to protect the community.”
Attorney General Maura Healey brought the case after Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni declined to file charges in 2017.
Speaking to reporters, Smith said authorities in Springfield should have intervened.
“We’re talking about people from outside of the community that had to come in and clean up the community’s trash when there were opportunities for people within the community to empty out their own trash,” he said.
Five of the officers arraigned Thursday are accused of participating in the attack. Officer Jose Diaz, 54, is accused of not only taking part in the beating and but also engaging in the alleged coverup.
The other seven defendants arraigned Thursday allegedly participated in the coverup. That group included a retired sergeant, Louis Bortolussi, 57, and former officer Nathanael Perez, 27, who is now a state trooper. Massachusetts State Police have suspended Perez without pay, a spokesman said.
Arraignments for two others implicated in the incident — Officer Melissa Rodriguez, 32, and bar manager Joseph Sullivan, 42 — haven’t been set, a Healey spokeswoman said. They are accused of lying about the incident.
Nathan Bill’s owner, John Sullivan, 32, who is accused of participating in the fight and coverup, is scheduled to be arraigned on April 24.
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The episode began as a night out at the popular bar where a group of off-duty officers was socializing. Also at Nathan Bill’s were Cumby, the Ligon brothers, and Cintron.
Jozelle Ligon whistled to the bartender to get her attention. But Billingsley thought Ligon was cat-calling his girlfriend, another off-duty officer, according to the lawsuit Cumby filed.
Later, words were exchanged outside and prosecutors allege six off-duty officers and John Sullivan attacked Cumby, his cousins, and Cintron. Cumby has said he suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle, and had four teeth knocked loose.
In court papers, attorney Shawn Allyn, who represents Billingsley, wrote that the alleged victims started the fight outside the bar after being asked to leave it. After the alleged victims exited Nathan Bill’s, they stayed in the area and then confronted the off-duty officers as they left the bar, Allyn wrote.
He pointed to grand jury testimony from an off-duty officer who was granted immunity. The officer told the grand jury, according to Allyn, that Cumby approached him outside the bar, acted civil at first, but then punched him in the face.
Allyn also provided the Globe with photographs of Billingsley’s injuries including stitches above one ear, a black eye, and abrasions on his face.
In court, Sweeney allowed a request from Allyn and Daniel Hagan, who represents Williams, to obtain records from police departments that have filed criminal charges against Cumby and Cintron in the past.
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The lawyers said the criminal records of Cumby and Cintron are important evidence for the defense.
“The government is trying to portray that these officers went and assaulted these men. It’s just not accurate,” Hagan said.
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.