HEWARD-MILLS vs. HEWARD-MILLS [1992]DLCA2028

Date	1992-05-07
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1992]DLCA2028

ESSIEM JA

ADJABENG JA

FORSTER J.A.

JOHNY QUASHIE-IDUN (WITH HIM MRS. WILLIAMS AND R. HEWARD-MILLS) FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.

ENOCH KOM (WITH HIM MRS. SYLVIA CUDJOE) FOR THE PLAINTIFF RESPONDENT.

[1992]DLCA2028
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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">HEWARD-MILLS<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">HEWARD-MILLS<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1992] 1 GLR 153<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>JOHNY QUASHIE-IDUN (WITH HIM MRS. WILLIAMS AND R. HEWARD-MILLS)
FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.<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">

ENOCH KOM (WITH HIM MRS. SYLVIA CUDJOE) FOR THE PLAINTIFF RESPONDENT. <o:p></o:p>

ESSIEM, ADJABENG AND FORSTER JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF ADJABENG J.A.<o:p></o:p>The fundamental issue which this court ought to determine in this
appeal, in my view, is the issue whether or not the plaintiff ‘s action was
competent or properly before the trial court. It is the contention of the
defendant-appellants that the trial court failed to tackle this issue because
the court failed to appreciate the legal grounds upon which the appellants’
application in the court below was based. Also, that this lack of appreciation
made the trial judge to allow herself to be influenced by matters not pertinent
to the issues argued before the court, and thus rendered the decision of the
court unsupportable in law.<o:p></o:p>The facts of this case are that the plaintiff, the first and
second defendants are all children of the late Albert Gillies Heward-Mills,
Barrister-at-Law, of James Town, Accra. The third defendant is the executor of
the will of the late J.N. Heward-Mills, also a child of the said Albert Gillies
Heward-Mills (deceased). The said Albert G. Heward-Mills during his lifetime
made a will and codicil and on his death on 19 December 1964 these were
admitted to probate. Probate of the said will and codicil was granted to the
executors named therein, namely Nii Amaa Ollennu, Henry Hornsby Odoi and Daniel
Phillip Hammond, all now deceased. The plaintiff, the first and second
defendants and the late J. N. Heward-Mills were all named beneficiaries in
their said late father’s will; and the plaintiff, the first and second
defendants, and the beneficiaries of the late J. N. Heward-Mills have all been
enjoying the properties willed to them by their late father. The same applies
to the other children of the said testator.<o:p></o:p>On 12 April 1991, that is about 27 years after the death of his
late father, the plaintiff swore to and filed an affidavit at the High Court,
Accra. I deem it necessary to set out fully here this affidavit. It states:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“I, Dr. Samuel Desmond
Heward-Mills of Accra make oath and say as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(1). That I am the plaintiff-applicant
herein. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2). That I am the son of the late
A. G. Heward-Mills who died on 19 December 1964 leaving a will dated 11
December 1939 and a codicil dated 3 January 1950 which were admitted to
probate.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(3). That the testator was survived
by wives and children of whom I am one. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(4). That the executors of the
testator, Nii Amaa Ollennu, Henry Hornsby Odoi and Daniel Phillip Hammond are
now dead and so also are the attesting witnesses. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">