Hip surgery’s not an unilateral excuse unless it was emergency surgery. Otherwise, Bundy or his lawyer needed to notify the judge and obtain a postponement. Simply failing to show because of hip surgery is not an excuse.
Young Bundy had missed several previous scheduled court appearances. He moved around without notifying the court of his new address(es) and the court had no idea where to contact him.
At the time of his outpatient hip surgery (the day of his scheduled appearance), he was staying with his parents in Bunkerville and was no longer in Las Vegas.
Young Bundy's parents said they thought he had obtained a medical release from his court date, but that was all in somebody's imagination.