[1962]DLHC1396 • March 7, 1962 • High Court
BONSU vs. FORSON
The plaintiff, a lawyer and Member of Parliament, was a tenant of the defendant, his landlord. After heavy rainfall damaged the plaintiff's rented premises, a heated quarrel ensued between the parties during which the defendant allegedly called the plaintiff defamatory names including 'thief', 'hopeless lawyer', and 'hopeless M.P.' The plaintiff claimed damages and an injunction for defamation. The defendant denied the allegations, contending the plaintiff had insulted him first and that the words complained of were not spoken by him.
read moreJUDGMENT OF DJABANOR J. The plaintiff instituted this action claiming: “(1) Fifteen thousand pounds (£G15,000) damages. (2) An injunction restraining the defendant his servants and agents from further speaking or publishing the said or any similar words defamatory of the plaintiff.” It will be observed that the claim as it thus stands did not disclose any cause of action, but this was saved in my opinion, by the statement of claim which was filed together with the writ and which was in the following terms: “1. The plaintiff was on the 30th day of May, 1959, and is still a lawyer practising as a solicitor and barrister, at Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. 2. That the plaintiff was and is also a politician and a Member of Parliament for the Sekyere West electoral district. 3. The defendant is a wholesale-keeper of the United Africa Company (Ghana) Limited, Prison Road, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. 4. The plaintiff is a tenant and was on the 30t...