MARIAM HOTEL AND EDERN SECURITY LTD. vs. JAY KESSELEE FARTORMAH [2012]DLCA8635

Date	2012-07-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/31/2012
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA8635

MARIAMA OWUSU J.A. (PRESIDING)

FRANCIS KORBIEH J.A.

IRENE DANQUAH J.A.

[2012]DLCA8635
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MARIAM HOTEL
AND EDERN SECURITY LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" 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>JAY KESSELEE
FARTORMAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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">

SUIT
NO: H1/31/2012&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; &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: 27TH JULY, 2012<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MARIAMA
OWUSU J.A. (PRESIDING), FRANCIS KORBIEH J.A., IRENE DANQUAH J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>MARIAMA
OWUSU, J.A:<o:p></o:p>On
18-11-2010, the High Court, Tamale, dismissed 1st defendant’s
counterclaim as not proved.&nbsp; Judgment was
then entered in favour of the plaintiff against defendants jointly and
severally for the recovery of the sum of $3,767.00 being the total of his five
items lost when he checked into a room in 1st defendant (Mariam
Hotel) as a paying customer of the 1st defendant.<o:p></o:p>In
his judgment, the trial High Court Judge held among other things as follows:<o:p></o:p>“The last issue to consider
is whether or not the plaintiff succeeds in his claim.&nbsp; The answer is very much so.&nbsp; From the totality of the evidence adduced
before me coupled with the input of the witnesses of plaintiff and the
Exhibits, the case of the plaintiff is more plausible by a preponderance of the
probabilities.&nbsp; I have already lamented
that the evidence of the defendants lacks support in that though they admitted
having their employees around at the time of the incident, they did not deem it
prudent to call them to build up their case.&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p>All that they were trying to
do was to find weakness in the case of the plaintiff in order to use that to
build up their weak cases.&nbsp; Before they
succeed in shopping for weaknesses in the case of the plaintiff, they ought to
have led a solid evidence so as to shore up their own defences.&nbsp; This they failed to do the inevitable consequence
is that since the plaintiff has led credible evidence to merit judgment being
entered in his favour, judgment is hereby entered for the plaintiff in the sum
of $3,767.00 being the total of his five items which are set hereunder.”<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied
with the judgment of the High Court, the 1st defendant appealed to
this court on the following grounds:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:54.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-36.0pt;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:54.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;">a.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 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;
The trial Judge erred when
he held plaintiff’s items were stolen.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:54.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-36.0pt;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:54.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;">b.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 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;
The trial Judge erred for
accusing 1st defendant of manipulating its Rules and Regulations
(Exhibit 1) in contemplation of its case.<o:p></o:p>