Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: inops consilii
A bailor is someone who gives their personal property to someone else, called a bailee, for safekeeping or other specific purposes. The bailor still owns the property, but they temporarily give control of it to the bailee. The bailor must trust the bailee and act in good faith, and they can benefit from the bailee's good performance. Sometimes a bailor is not the owner of the property but is keeping it for someone else. A bailor can also be someone who provides bail for a criminal defendant's release.
A bailor is a person or party who delivers a bailment. This means that they entrust personal goods or other property to a bailee until its restoration to the bailor. The bailor only relinquishes possession of the good or property, not the ownership.
For example, if you give your friend your laptop to borrow for a week, you are the bailor and your friend is the bailee. You still own the laptop, but you have given your friend temporary possession of it for a specific purpose.
Sometimes a bailor is not the owner of the property but a keeper for the owner or a finder who puts the property in the hands of the bailee until the owner is identified.
A bailor must act with good faith interacting with the bailee, and the bailor can at least benefit from the performance of the duty in good faith from the bailee. This means that the bailor should be honest and fair in their dealings with the bailee, and the bailee should perform their duties in a trustworthy manner.
Another example of a bailor is a person who provides bail as a surety for a criminal defendant’s release. In this case, the bailor is providing a guarantee that the defendant will appear in court and fulfill their obligations.