DOE vs. OPOKU-ANSAH [1998]DLHC9285

Date	1998-04-29
Suit No.	[1997-1998] 2 GLR 149
Citation No.	[1998]DLHC9285

ATKINS J.S.C

CHARLES HAYFRON-BENJAMIN J.S.C

AMPIAH J.S.C

ADJABENG

ATUGUBA J.S.C

NANA AKUFO-ADDO (WITH HIM ALEX QUAYNOR) FOR THE APPELLANT.

S A X TSEGAH (WITH HIM KWABENA ABOAGYE) FOR THE RESPONDENT

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1998]DLHC9285</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center;
line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;color:#00B0F0">OPOKU-ANSAH</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">[HIGH COURT,<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;
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:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">[</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">1997-1998</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">] 2 GLR 149&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</b>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 29<sup>TH </sup>APRIL,
1998<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">NANA
AKUFO-ADDO (WITH HIM ALEX QUAYNOR) FOR THE APPELLANT. <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">S A X TSEGAH (WITH HIM KWABENA ABOAGYE)
FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:0cm;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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">ATKINS
J.S.C, CHARLES HAYFRON-BENJAMIN J.S.C, AMPIAH J.S.C, ADJABENG, ATUGUBA J.S.C<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

</div>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:.05pt;margin-right:5.85pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">Aikins JSC. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:.05pt;margin-right:5.85pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">The plaintiff-respondent-respondent,
George Opoku-Ansah (hereafter referred to as the respondent), commenced his
action in the circuit court in May 1992 and secured a judgment in his favour.
His adversary, Adelaide Doe, lodged an appeal from the decision of the circuit
court to the Court of Appeal. The appeal was dismissed, and it is against this
decision of the Court of Appeal that she has appealed to this court.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:6.1pt;margin-right:5.8pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:5.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">When
the appeal came up for hearing before us, Mr Kom, counsel for the respondent,
raised a preliminary legal objection by taking the point “that the appeal is
incompetent and not properly before the court having been filed out of time.”
According to learned counsel, the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered
on 31 October 1996; leave to appeal was granted on 3 December 1996 and the
appeal pursuant to leave was filed on 3 March 1997, one day out of time. After
due calculation by Nana Akufo-Addo learned counsel for the
defendant-appellant-appellant (hereinafter referred as the appellant), it came
to light that the appeal was within time, and the application was accordingly<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>dismissed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:6.3pt;margin-right:5.8pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:5.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">The
respondent’s claim is that he owned the property in dispute under a deed of
assignment granted to him by the late Mr George Doe, the husband of the
appellant, by virtue of which late Mr George Doe purported to assign all his
interest in the property to the respondent. He therefore by his writ asked for
the following<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>reliefs:<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:2.35pt;margin-right:5.85pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:61.65pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-28.4pt;line-height:
115%;tab-stops:61.6pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">“(a)&nbsp;&nbsp; A
declaration of title and recovery of possession of a piece or parcel of land and
building thereon known as plot No D2 situate at the Ring Road Extension
(North),<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>Accra.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoListParagraph" align="left" style="margin: 4.15pt 5.85pt 0.0001pt 61.65pt; text-indent: -28.4pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%">(b)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">An order for perpetual injunction restraining
the defendant and her agents or servants or employees from interfering with the
said piece or parcel of<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoListParagraph" align="left" style="margin: 4.2pt 0cm 0.0001pt 61.6pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%">(c)<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">Damages for trespass for use and<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>occupation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>