GERTRUDE AGBEWOLE (PETITIONER/RESPONDENT) vs. CHRISTOPHER AGBODOGBEY (RESPONDENT/APPELLANT) [2011]DLCA7910

GERTRUDE AGBEWOLE (PETITIONER/RESPONDENT) vs. CHRISTOPHER AGBODOGBEY (RESPONDENT... [2011]DLCA7910

Date	2011-12-15
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL H1/2/2008
Citation No.	[2011]DLCA7910

ABBAN (MRS.) J.A. (PRESIDING)

KUSI-APPIAH J.A.

AYEBI J.A.

MR. JOE ATTIPOE FOR THE PETITIONER/RESPONDENT

MR. DUBIK MAHAMA FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPELLANT

[2011]DLCA7910
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GERTRUDE
AGBEWOLE<o:p></o:p>(PETITIONER/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" 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;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>CHRISTOPHER
AGBODOGBEY<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<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:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL
APPEAL H1/2/2008&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 15TH
DECEMBER, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
JOE ATTIPOE FOR THE PETITIONER/RESPONDENT
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MR. DUBIK MAHAMA FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>KUSI-APPIAH, J.A.&nbsp;
This is an appeal against the judgment of the Circuit Court, Accra,
dated 14th day of February 2006, in favour of the
Petitioner/Respondent against the Respondent/ Appellant.&nbsp; I will refer to the parties in the manner
they appeared at the court below. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>By her petition filed on 7th
day of November 2005, the petitioner prayed that:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>“a&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The marriage between the
Petitioner and the Respondent be dissolved.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>b&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The matrimonial home being House No. MD934, Madina, be
conveyed to the Petitioner as the sole owner.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>c&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The container Respondent used Petitioner’s money to make be
given to the Petitioner.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Respondent be ordered to pay the Petitioner a lump
sum.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The case of the petitioner
as gathered from her pleadings and especially evidence at the trial is that,
the parties married under custom on 10th January, 1971 and had six
children all of whom are now adults.&nbsp; The
petitioner pleaded in the main her immense contribution in purchasing the
matrimonial house in 1971 for Gh¢60.00.&nbsp;
She averred that she contributed Gh¢40.00 while the respondent
contributed Gh¢20.00, that she built the two self-contained rooms as well as
three single rooms to the house which originally comprised four chamber and
hall rooms.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The petitioner testified
that the marriage has broken down beyond reconciliation as a result of
unreasonable behaviour on the part of the respondent which includes his refusal
to consummate the marriage (that is, have sexual intercourse with her) since
1982, cruelty to her following persistent and regular assault by the respondent
which has affected her eyes, collapse of her business by misusing her capital,
selling her urvan bus as well as a parcel of her land at Ashalley Botwe in
Accra. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Worse still, the petitioner
continued that the respondent has rented out all the rooms in the matrimonial
house using the proceeds for his own purposes.&nbsp;
That when she complained about respondent’s conduct in using the monies
accruing from the renting of the property, the respondent took her to
International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA for short) that she be ejected
from matrimonial home.&nbsp; But after hearing
evidence from the parties, FIDA dismissed the respondent’s case and declared
the subject property as jointly owned by the parties. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>