RUDOLPH NORTEY OTOO & ANOR vs. NORA ODOFOLEY OTOO & ANOR [2013]DLCA8133

Date	2013-12-03
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/213/13
Citation No.	[2013]DLCA8133

ABBAN (MRS.) JA (PRESIDING)

ACQUAYE JA

DZAMEFE JA

MR. EDWARD SAM CRABBE FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS

MR. SAM OKUDZETO & ASSOCIATES FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS

[2013]DLCA8133
																																						<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" >RUDOLPH NORTEY OTOO &amp; ANOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/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>NORA ODOFOLEY OTOO &amp; ANOR<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<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 NO: H1/213/13&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 3RD
DECEMBER, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL.<o:p></o:p>MR.
EDWARD SAM CRABBE FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS<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.
SAM OKUDZETO &amp; ASSOCIATES FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<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">

ABBAN
(MRS.) JA (PRESIDING), ACQUAYE JA, DZAMEFE JA&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</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">

<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>DZAMEFE,
JA<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal from the judgment of the Accra High Court dated 2nd
May, 2012.<o:p></o:p>The
brief facts of this case, as stated by the plaintiff’s hereinafter referred to
as the appellants, are that the appellants are the administrators of the estate
of one Susannah Korkoi Otoo by virtue of Letters of Administration granted them
by the Accra High Court on 15th May, 2003.&nbsp; They are the children of the deceased and
also beneficiaries of her estate and reside in Accra. <o:p></o:p>The
defendants hereinafter referred to as the respondents are the executors of the
last Will and testament of one Joseph Kabufio Otoo and also reside in Accra.<o:p></o:p>According
to the appellants, in or about 1984, Susana Korkoi Otoo petitioned for the
dissolution of her marriage to Joseph Kabufio Otoo, her husband, in the High
Court.&nbsp; One of the reliefs was the
settlement on her a property situated at Kotobabi, Accra.&nbsp; It is the appellants’ case that in course of
the divorce suit, counsel for the husband, Mr. Mingle agreed to settle the
petitioner on the portion of the Kotobabi property on which was an existing
building which she accepted.&nbsp; This
agreement they averred formed part of the court’s record in the matrimonial
cause.<o:p></o:p>The
appellants averred that although Joseph Kabufio Otoo could not finally convey
the settled property to Susannah before his death on 19th July,
1986, he impliedly acknowledged the agreement by leaving the settled property
off his Will.<o:p></o:p>By
the said Will dated 2nd July, 1986, J. K. Otoo devised on his
daughter Margaret Odoforkor Otoo the vacant half of the property at Kotobabi
having already settled a portion of it to Susana Korkoi Otoo. <o:p></o:p>The
respondents, the appellants claim, have refused to acknowledge the said
property settlement by J. K. Otoo in favour of Susana K. Otoo and have
wrongfully persisted in claiming the aforesaid building as part of the J. K. Otoo’s
estate.&nbsp; They have refused to convey the
settled property to Susana Korkoi Otoo’s estate unless compelled by the court
hence this suit for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Declaration of title to that
part of the land situated at Kotobabi, Accra, on which is sited a building
known as H/No. C505/13.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Declaration that the said
building was settled on Susannah Korkoi Otoo by Joseph Kabufio Otoo, by virtue
of an agreement reached by the parties in divorce suit No. DMC 49/84, and thus
forms part of her estate.<o:p></o:p>