On this day in 1970, Sam Sheppard, a doctor convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in a trial that caused a media frenzy in the 1950s, dies of liver failure. After a decade in prison, Sheppard was released following a re-trial.
Official Immunity Law and Legal Definition. Official immunity is a discretionary immunity from personal liability that is granted to public officers for tortious acts and omissions. It is a personal immunity accorded to a public official from liability to anyone injured by actions that are the consequence of exerting official authority.
Absolute immunity focuses on the governmental function being performed and the nature of the responsibilities of the official, not on the specific action taken.3 In deciding whether officials performing a particular function are entitled to absolute immunity, courts generally look for a historical or common-law basis for the immunity in question.4 With one exception, absolute immunity is restricted to those persons performing judicial or legislative functions.