[2023]DLHC17050 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">NANA ABOAGYE BOACHIE-DANQUAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(PETITIONER)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">DORIS DSANE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[HIGH COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:168.75pt 278.15pt;text-autospace: none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""> </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: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">SUIT NO. E6/2/22 DATE: 25<sup>TH</sup> JULY 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:96.25pt;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">COUNSEL <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">KEZIAH AMPONSAH-JACKSON FOR DAVID OWUSU TACHIE ESQ FOR PETITIONER<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: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">AKPENE DARKO-COBBINA ESQ FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none; border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">In this divorce petition, the parties contracted marriage under the Ordinance on 28<sup>th</sup> March, 2019 at the Metropolitan Offices and same blessed at the Assemblies of God Church, Effiakuma on 30<sup>th</sup> March, 2019 all within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan area. After the marriage, the parties co-habited in Accra and thence to Kansaworodo, Takoradi. There is one issue in the marriage. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The petitioner claims the marriage has broken down beyond reconciliation citing unreasonable behaviour on the part of the respondent and their irreconcilable differences. Petitioner is therefore seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:72.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt; line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">a. That the ordinance marriage celebrated between the parties on the 28th day of March, 2019 and blessed in the Church on the 30th day of March, 2021, be dissolved. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:72.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt; line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">b. That the Petitioner be given custody of the one (1) child of the marriage with reasonable access to the Respondent. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:72.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt; line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">c. An Order directed at the Respondent to allow the Petitioner give a name to this child and not the said name of Dorielle Kukua Mamaa Dsane; she bears my blood and not that of the Respondent’s father.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:72.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt; line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">d. Petitioner to pay the educational bills and medical bills of the child of the marriage as and when they fall due.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:72.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt; line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">e. Petitioner to pay an amount of Three Hundred Cedis (GH 300.00) per mensem as maintenance for the child of the marriage with a ten percent upward increase every two years until they each complete a tertiary institution.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">On 25<sup>th</sup> January, 2022 parties were ordered to file their witness statements and pretrial check lists. Petitioner complied with the order of the court but the Respondent failed to do so. The court subsequently extended the time for the Respondent to file her witness statement but she refused to do so. Meanwhile, Respondent has also failed or refused to come to court since she last appeared on 8<sup>th</sup> February, 2023. This is in spite of the numerous hearing notices served on her through her lawyer. Some of the affidavits of service evidencing service of the hearing notices are dated 15/05/2023, 12/06/2023 and 10/07/2023. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">On 20<sup>th</sup> July, 2023 when the case was called around 8.30 am, Respondent and her lawyer were absent. The case was stood down and recalled at 12.36 pm. Respondent and her lawyer were still absent. Consequently, t