GEORGINA COLEMAN vs. GRIMALDI LINES AND GRIMALDI COMPAGNIA DI NAVIGAZIONE SPA PER GRIMALDI (GHANA) LTD [2014]DLHC17314

GEORGINA COLEMAN vs. GRIMALDI LINES AND GRIMALDI COMPAGNIA DI NAVIGAZIONE SPA PE... [2014]DLHC17314

Date	2014-10-27
Suit No.	Suit No. RPC/147/12
Citation No.	[2014]DLHC17314

JENNIFER DODOO (MRS)

ERIC ASUMAN-ADU

D.K. AMELEY

[2014]DLHC17314
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<a name="_Hlk154138250"></a><a name="_Hlk152146143"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">GEORGINA COLEMAN<o:p></o:p></a>

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">GRIMALDI LINES AND
GRIMALDI COMPAGNIA DI NAVIGAZIONE SPA PER GRIMALDI (GHANA) LTD<o:p></o:p>

<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">(DEFENDANTS)<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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"><o:p></o:p>

<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>

<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">&nbsp;

<a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">Suit No. RPC/147/12&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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 OCTOBER 2014<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;"><o:p></o:p>

</div>

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">ERIC
ASUMAN-ADU FOR PLAINTIFF<o:p></o:p>

</div>

JENNIFER DODOO (MRS)<span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>

The Plaintiff’s claim
against the Defendants in her Amended Statement of Claim was for the refund of
£34,858.00 together with interest at the prevailing bank rate being the cost of
assorted biscuits imported into Ghana.The Plaintiff also made a claim in
general damages for breach of contract.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

It was her case that she
contracted the Defendants, a shipping line to transport her goods from London
to Accra. She asserted that since the
goods being biscuits were perishable, the agreement was that the voyage would
not exceed 14 days. The goods were
accordingly shipped on 24th May 2011 to arrive
in Ghana on 7th June 2011. The goods however arrived in Ghana on 16th
August 2011 by which time some had expired and the rest were
nearing expiry. The Plaintiff
therefore claimed the value of the goods as well as general damages for breach
of contract. The Defendants denied the claim saying that the Plaintiff entered
into a contract of affreightment evidenced by a bill of lading which spelt out
all the terms of the contract.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

According to the
Defendants, the cargo was initially put on board one of the Defendants’ vessels
MV Grande Ghana which encountered technical difficulties. This resulted in the
vessel returning to Antwerp for repairs. The
Plaintiff’s claim was however repudiated in terms of the contract of
affreightrment.<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;

The following issues were forwarded by the pretrial
judge to this court for trial;<o:p></o:p>

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;