Former Associate Justice of the High Court of American Samoa, Lyle Richmond, has died.
His family issued an announcement today about his passing.
*It is with great sorrow to announce that our father and husband, Judge Lyle Richmond, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 21, 2019, at 5:15 P.M. at the Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“Judge Richmond was surrounded by his wife and family before taking his final breathe after a year recovery from complications from a subdural hematoma. *
*Judge Richmond is survived by his wife Papaliitele Violet Richmond together with their children, grandchildren and one great grandchild. *
*Funeral arrangements for the return of Judge Richmond to American Samoa
will be announced at a later date. *
Associate Justice Richmond served in the High Court from the time that the Interior Department appointed him to the bench in 1991 until he became unwell in 2016.
He was a former Attorney General of the American Samoa Government, and served as Chief Counsel to Governor Uifaatali Peter Coleman.
He was also an attorney for Van Camp Seafood before he was appointed to the bench.
A former deputy attorney general of American Samoa, Frederick OBrien, said Richmond was “a great judge and a great man” adding that Richmond was a “fantastic” member of the bench when he (OBrien) was prosecuting crimes.
Senator Tuaolo Fruean, a former assocate judge who served with Richmond in the High Court said Judge Richmond was a good man and one of his most admirable traits was his patience.
Tuaolo, who was a judge from 1985 to 2000, said Richmond had a lot of patience for attorneys.
And the senator said he would always remember the love and respect that Judge Richmond had for his wife Violet.
“At lunch time everyday he would take her for lunch no miss”, said Tuaolo.
The High Court of American Samoa had not received official word of Richmond’s passing when KHJ News sought comment.
Simlarly with the Governor’s Office.
KHJ News has had a long association with Judge Richmond beginning from when he was the Counsel to Governor Coleman.
He always had time to explain issues and believed in the role of the media to get information to the public.
In and out of the court room he was always friendly and courteous.
He was also a very proud Navy man.
And we remember Flag Days or Veteran Day celebrations when he would dress in his full naval uniform.
We will remember him in his ie faitaga and aloha shirts and safari suits, and running into him at local grocery stores or on the OMV track.
Our deepest condolences to Mrs Richmond and children on the passing of a great man.
