HASNEM ENTERPRISES LTD vs. IBM WORLD TRADE CORPORATION [1990]DLHC750

Date	1990-05-16
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1990]DLHC750

BENIN J

O K SAMPSON FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.

ADUAMA OSEI FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1990]DLHC750
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">HASNEM ENTERPRISES LTD<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">IBM WORLD TRADE CORPORATION<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, CAPE COAST]<o:p></o:p>[1993-94] 1 GLR 172<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>O K SAMPSON FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ADUAMA OSEI FOR THE DEFENDANTS. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF BENIN J.<o:p></o:p>By an amended writ of summons filed on 16 December 1988 the
plaintiffs claimed these reliefs against the defendants:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(i).&nbsp;&nbsp; “Specific performance of an
(oral) agreement between the plaintiff-company made in 1977 for an after sale
service of the plaintiff-company’s IBM Copier II machine “on call basis.” <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(ii). The sum of ¢1,205,000 special
damages being loss of income for 200 working days at the rate of ¢5,000 per
diem as from 24 March 1986 through 28 February 1987. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(iii).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Interest on the said sum of ¢1,205,000 at the rate of 25 per cent
per annum from 1 April 1986 to the date of final judgment. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(iv).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Mesne profits as from 1 March 1987 up to the date of final
judgment at the rate of ¢15,000. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(v).
Interest on the total sum of the said mesne profits at the time of
final judgment.”<o:p></o:p>The statement of claim was filed on 17 March 1987. The plaintiffs
are a limited liability company incorporated in Ghana with their head office in
Cape Coast. The defendants are also a limited liability company with their head
office in Accra. The plaintiffs say they purchased an IBM Copier II machine
(hereinafter referred to as the machine) from the defendants. It was delivered
to the plaintiffs by the defendants on 16 August 1977. The plaintiffs used this
machine up to 6 February 1986, a period of some eight and half years, when it
broke down, a condition in which it has remained up to the time of the trial.
It has not been put back into use because the plaintiffs contend that the
defendants have failed to honour their obligation to service and/or repair the
machine under an after sale service agreement reached between them. Hence this
action in which the plaintiffs seek the reliefs as set out above. The
defendants deny the existence of any such agreement and contend that they were
servicing the plaintiffs’ machine on a call basis only for which the plaintiffs
settled the bills for each service rendered. One of such bills is still
outstanding and therefore the defendants have counterclaimed for this amount;
these are the brief facts of this case.<o:p></o:p>It appears that the plaintiffs by the statement of claim spoke
about other factors constituting the agreement, apart from the oral agreement
which they stated in the indorsement. A statement of claim when served, takes
the place of the writ, the indorsement on which they ceases to be of
consequence, per Jessel MR in Large v Large (1877) WN 198. See also Lewis and
Lewis v Durnford (1907) 24 TLR 64. A plaintiff may in his statem</main>