[1977]DLCA1367 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">MUSSEY</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">DARKO</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[1977]1 GLR 147</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> DATE:</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0"> </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Times">6 JULY 1976</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">AYISI FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;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;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">NII AZUMA-NELSON FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">SOWAH, KINGSLEY-NYINAH AND FRANCOIS JJ.A.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT OF SOWAH J. A.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">This is an appeal from the High Court, Accra, in the suit entitled, R. A. Darko, Trading as Okofoh Enterprises v. A. A. Mussey, whereby the court gave judgment against the said Mussey in the sum of ¢4,962.86.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">It appears that the original plaintiff in the case was Okofoh Enterprises and that it was after judgment had been entered that an application for substitution of the plaintiff was made. Okofoh Enterprises is a firm registered under the Registration of Business Names Act, 1962 (Act 151), and the sole proprietor was one Rexford Ayeh Darko.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">In this appeal the appellant has made no endeavour to attack the merits of the case but rested his argument on two points of law, namely, that there was no plaintiff in law at the date of the issue of the writ for which the respondent could be substituted. Secondly the learned High Court judge had no jurisdiction to grant the amendment for substitution.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">For the first proposition learned counsel argued that Order 48A, r. 11 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1954 (L.N. 140A), does not allow a firm consisting of a single person as sole proprietor to sue in the name of such firm and relied on the case of Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation v. Vincenta Publications [1971] 2 G.L.R. 24 at p. 29, C.A. which had held:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i