Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1989

The court affirmed summary judgment for a psychiatrist who evaluated a family at the direction of a Probate Court through its probation department, holding that he was entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity for services integral to the judicial process.

The court held that the statute-of-limitations tolling issue turned on whether Totten’s mental condition prevented her from understanding the nature or effects of her acts, and that her complaint adequately raised that issue.