DAVID LARTEY KWAO TETTEH GHANAA vs. NAI BAALEIFI [2009]DLCA6713

Date	2009-04-30
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/47/07
Citation No.	[2009]DLCA6713

ASARE KORANG J.A. (PRESIDING)

AYEBI J.A.

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

MR. L. S. N. AKUETTEH FOR PLTS’/APPELLANTS

MR. JEAN MAURELETT FOR DEFT’/RESPONDENT

[2009]DLCA6713
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DAVID LARTEY KWAO TETTEH
GHANAA<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NAI BAALEIFI<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/47/07&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 30TH
APRIL 2009<o:p></o:p>

MR.
JEAN MAURELETT FOR DEFT’/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AYEBI J.A. <o:p></o:p>The
judgment appealed against in this civil appeal was delivered by the Circuit
Court, Accra on 20th March 2002 in favour of the defendant/respondent.&nbsp; The reliefs which the plaintiffs/appellants
claimed at the trial are: <o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the piece of land
described in the statement of claim was not adjudged to belong to the defendant
in suit No.103/91, Circuit Court, Accra. <o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration of title to the said piece
of land in favour of the plaintiffs. <o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages for trespass. <o:p></o:p>(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of perpetual injunction
restraining the defendant, agents, servants, assigns or persons claiming
through her. <o:p></o:p>In
paragraph 16 of the statement of claim, the land is described as<o:p></o:p>“situate at La in the Greater Accra
Region of the Republic of Ghana and is bounded on the North by proposed road
measuring 110’ more or less, on the South by grantor’s land measuring 70’ more
or less, on the East by grantor’s land measuring 20’ more or less and on the
West by proposed road measuring 70’ more or less and containing an approximate
area of 0.11 acre” <o:p></o:p>It
is right away seen that the claim of the appellants in this suit is based on an
earlier claim in respect of a piece of land decided upon by another Circuit
Court in the suit referred to.&nbsp; In that
suit No. 103/91, the plaintiff/appellants herein sued Madam Ntang Nelson, since
deceased and now substituted by the defendant/respondent herein for: <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the plaintiffs are the
owners of the piece or parcel of land described in the schedule annexed
thereto. <o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages in the sum of ¢2
million for trespass. <o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of perpetual injunction. <o:p></o:p>In
the schedule annexed the land was described as: <o:p></o:p>“All that piece or parcel of land
situate, lying and being at La, Accra, containing an approximate area of 0.22
acre bounded on the North by proposed road measuring 110’ more or less, on the
South by vendor’s land measuring 70’ more or less, on the East by vendor’s land
measuring 140’ more or less and on the West by proposed road measuring 130’
more or less” <o:p></o:p>This
description of the land is culled from an unregistered indenture between Odoi
Din and I. L. Dokuh executed on 10th November 1964 tendered in that suit.&nbsp; In that suit the defendant therein Madam
Elizabeth Ntang Nelson resisted the claim of the plaintiffs and counter-claimed
for the same reliefs.&nbsp; In support of her
claim for declaration of title in particular, she tendered a registered
indenture on the piece of land granted her by the La Stool represented by the
then La Mantse, Nii Anyetei Kwakwranya II.&nbsp;
The land said to be situated near La Wireless Station is bounded on the
North by a proposed road measuring 115’ more or less, bounded on the South by
the La Stool property measuring 100’ more or less, bounded on the East by the
La Stool property measuring 90’ more or less and bounded on the West by a
proposed road measuring 50’ more or less and having an acreage of 0.18 acre
more or less. <o:p></o:p>The
Circuit Court in its judgment dated 11th November 1994 found for the defendant
therein.&nbsp; The court held “In the premises
I enter judgment for the defendant and declared her owner of the land in
dispute” (see page 143 of the record of proceedings).&nbsp; The plaintiff/appellants herein appealed
against that judgment.&nbsp; And whiles that
appeal was pending, the same plaintiff/appellants sued the same defendant Madam
Elizabeth Ntang Nelson in this suit which is on appeal now. <o:p></o:p>The
trial court differently constituted in its judgment observed that the dimension
of the land in suit No. 103/91 in the East measuring 140’ and West measuring
130’ has shrunk to 70’ respectively on the two sides in the instant suit.&nbsp; Thereon the court held: <o:p></o:p>“After examining the description of
the land, the subject-matter of suit No. 103/91 adjudged to belong to defendant
and the description of the land, the subject-matter of the instant suit, it has
become clear to me that the land the subject-matter of this suit falls within
the land adjudged to belong to defendant’s predecessor in title” <o:p></o:p>