[2020]DLSC9923 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">EMPIRE BUILDERS LIMITED<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;tab-stops:93.75pt center 3.25in"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> (PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal;tab-stops:266.7pt 309.3pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">TOPKINGS ENTERPRISES LTD. & 4 OTHERS</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal;tab-stops:266.7pt 309.3pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/10/2019 DATE: 16<sup>TH</sup> DECEMBER, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">COUNSEL</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">F. K. QUARTEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">AUBREY TAMAKLOE FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;tab-stops:center 3.25in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">CORAM</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">BAFFOE-BONNIE, JSC (PRESIDING), APPAU, JSC, PWAMANG, JSC, AMADU, JSC, KULENDI, JSC<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;tab-stops:center 3.25in;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 150%"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">AMADU, JSC:-<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom: 0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify; text-indent:-.5in;line-height:200%;mso-list:l17 level1 lfo22"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Californian FB",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Californian FB";mso-bidi-font-family:"Californian FB"">(1)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">This appeal is from the decision of the Court of Appeal pronounced on the 18<sup>th</sup> December, 2014 which affirmed in part the judgment of the High Court dated 11<sup>th</sup> June, 2003. For purposes of convenience, the parties to the appeal shall be referred to by the same description as in the Trial High Court. The Plaintiff herein, aggrieved by the decision of the Court of Appeal has appealed to this court seeking an overturn of the decision.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom: 0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify; text-indent:-.5in;line-height:200%;mso-list:l17 level1 lfo22"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Californian FB",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Californian FB";mso-bidi-font-family:"Californian FB"">(2)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The key question for our decision in this appeal is whether the Court of Appeal correctly reevaluated the evidence on record and applied the relevant law and consequently came to the right conclusion by affirming the judgment of the Trial Court in part only.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom: 0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify; text-indent:-.5in;line-height:150%;mso-list:l17 level1 lfo22"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Californian FB",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Californian FB";mso-bidi-font-family:"Californian FB"">(3)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-var