NORA OTOO AND OTHERS vs. REUBEN OTOO AND OTHERS [2014]DLSC2922

Date	2014-07-17
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.J4/26/2014
Citation No.	[2014]DLSC2922

J.ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING)

R. OWUSU (MS) JSC

J. DOTSE JSC

N. S. GBADEGBE JSC

J. B. AKAMBA JSC

NENE AMEGATCHER ESQ.(WITH HIM LESTAR OHIMENG AND DIANA ASONA

DAPAAH FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/APPELLANTS.

EDWARD SAM CRABBE ESQ. (WITH HIM NATASHA LAMPTEY) FOR THE DEFENDANTS /APPELLANTS/RESPONDENTS.

[2014]DLSC2922
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;
mso-fareast-language:#0C00">NORA OTOO AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;
mso-fareast-language:#0C00">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;
mso-fareast-language:#0C00">REUBEN OTOO AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;">CIVIL APPEAL&nbsp;NO.J4/26/2014&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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:&nbsp;17TH&nbsp;JULY, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">NENE AMEGATCHER
ESQ. (WITH HIM LESTAR OHIMENG AND DIANA ASONA DAPAAH FOR
THE&nbsp;PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;">EDWARD SAM CRABBE ESQ. (WITH HIM NATASHA LAMPTEY) FOR THE DEFENDANTS
/APPELLANTS/RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">J.ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING), R.
OWUSU (MS) JSC, J.&nbsp; DOTSE JSC, N.&nbsp; S.&nbsp; GBADEGBE JSC, J.&nbsp;
B.&nbsp; AKAMBA JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">DOTSE JSC;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This is an appeal by the
Plaintiffs/Respondents/Appellants, hereafter referred to as the Plaintiffs
against the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 23rd&nbsp;May 2013 in favour of
the Defendants/Appellants/Respondents, which set aside the decision of the High
Court as per the judgment of Ofosu-Quartey J dated 26th&nbsp;day of October 2009.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Since this is an appeal which
touches and concerns the construction of a WILL, I intend to commence the
delivery of this judgment by reference to an old English case in which the
Master of the Rolls laid down some general rules of construction in the
celebrated English case of&nbsp;Thelluson v Woodford, (1798) 4. VES. 227,
329 E.R. 117, 167&nbsp;also referred to by the Learned&nbsp;Author of
Modern Law of Succession in Ghana,&nbsp;A.K.P. Kludze, page 83, in which
a&nbsp; rule on the construction of Wills was laid down by the court in
the&nbsp; following terms:-<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>