David Neil Spaulding v. Thomas W. Nielsen, Chief U.S. Probation Officer, and Henry Lucas, Jr., Deputy U.S. Probation Officer

This case presents the question whether a federal probation officer is immune from a suit for damages based on alleged misconduct in the investigation and preparation of a presentence report. Appellant Spaulding, the plaintiff below, brought a civil action seeking damages, as well as equitable and declaratory relief. He claimed that defendants Nielsen and Lucas were responsible for an incomplete and incorrect presentence report, 1 which denied him due process of law. The court below dismissed the action for failure to state a claim, holding that defendants were quasi-judicial officers and…