Meyers v. Contra Costa County Department of Social Services

How later courts describe this case

• holding that social workers are absolutely immune for decision whether to bring a proceeding
• social workers responsible for pursuing child dependency proceedings entitled to absolute immunity in performing quasi-prosecutorial functions
• responsibility of child services workers for bringing dependency proceedings, and the discretion to determine when to bring such proceedings, found to be analogous to the function of a prosecutor
• absolute immunity denied to social worker who ordered father away from his home; "[r]ather than contributing to an informed judgment by an impartial decisionmaker as an advocate, [social worker] acted unilaterally prior to the operation of the judicial process”
• social service workers in child dependency proceedings