Hugh Lennox Bond
Judge Bond no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Bond decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Treats a worker familiar with an older but sound machine as assuming risks that ordinary care would avoid.
“where a workman is employed to do certain work with a machine which he fully understands, though it may not be of the newest pattern, but nevertheless is in perfect order of its kind, and may require more care than newer patterns, he takes the risk of all accidents which may befall him in its use.”
Refuses to let sympathy replace the legal standard governing liability.
“This libelant’s misfortune has our deepest sympathy, but to do injustice through sympathy for the injured is to do away with law, and make recovery for loss dependent on the tenderness or want of it in the feelings of the court.”
Procedural preferences
Holds an official and his sureties to the statutory duties attached to collected public funds.
“The sheriff having chosen to violate his legal obligations, and to ignore the statutes of the state of West Virginia prescribing his duties, there has been a breach of his official bond, for which he and his sureties are liable”
Declines to enforce a bond when the supposed underlying contract lacked mutuality and consideration.
“There was no mutuality in the so-called “contract.””
Cautions
Applies the settled conveyancing rule that a called stream is the boundary unless contrary intent appears.
“It may be considered,” say the court, “a canon in American jurisprudence that where the calls in a conveyance of land are for two corners at, in, or on a stream, or its bank, and there is an intermediate line extending from one such corner to the other, the stream is the boundary, unless there is something which excludes the operation of this rule by showing the intention of the parties was otherwise.””
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Wo think the decree of the district court in this case should be reversed; and it is so ordered.”
“the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed, with costs.”
“the judgment of the court below should be reversed, and the suit dismissed, with costs, and it is so ordered.”
“We think the decree of the court below was the proper one to make, and it is affirmed, with costs.”
A historical record
Judge Bond no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.