MARY TSOTSO LARYEA & 3 ORS. vs. AMARKAI LARYEA [2015]DLCA8314

Date	2015-03-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/102/2014
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8314

OWUSU M. (PRESIDING)

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

SOWAH J.A.

MR. SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR RESPONDENTS

MR. PHILIP JIMANOR FOR APPELLANT

[2015]DLCA8314
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MARY TSOTSO LARYEA &amp; 3 ORS.<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<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;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>AMARKAI LARYEA<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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">

SUIT NO: H1/102/2014&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; &nbsp;DATE: 26TH MARCH, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR RESPONDENTS<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. PHILIP JIMANOR
FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>

</div><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;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">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">

OWUSU M. (PRESIDING)
, ADUAMA OSEI J.A., SOWAH 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;
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<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 20-10-2011, the High Court, Accra, in its judgment
held among other things as follows:<o:p></o:p>“In conclusion I enter judgment for the plaintiff for
relief (a) endorsed on their writ of summons and confer ownership of House No.
D453/3 Arena, Accra on all the surviving children of the late Daniel Maxwell
Laryea.&nbsp; The defenda nt is further
restrained from ejecting the plaintiffs from the said house.<o:p></o:p>On the evidence, I am unable to declare the defendant
sole legal and beneficial owner of the property because the gift inter vivos on
which he relied was not conclusively proved.&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p>Secondly, his senior brothers before him conducted the
management of the property to the benefit of all the children.&nbsp; Thirdly, the defendant by his own evidence
recognized the beneficial interest of the plaintiffs in the property.&nbsp; Defendant also admitted that the father’s
signature on Exhibit 2 is not his normal signature explaining that it is on
account of some 40 years difference.&nbsp;
Above all, the court has found the male siblings to have waived their
rights to exclusive ownership if any. &nbsp;Since
the GH¢2,000 paid to each plaintiff were monies received from the contractor to
enable him redevelop the property and not normal rents from sitting tenants the
defendant is likely to be called upon to refund same following the plaintiffs’
failure to relocate to permit the contractor to carry on his work.&nbsp; Accordingly, it would be unfair to permit the
plaintiffs to keep those monies and thereby burden the defendant to solely
shoulder the burden of a refund.<o:p></o:p>I will therefore order the defendant to recover from the
plaintiffs the following:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:2.0cm;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:0cm;line-height:150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; GH¢2,500 each from 1st,
3rd and 4th plaintiffs<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:2.0cm;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:0cm;line-height:150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; GH¢2,000 each from 2nd
and 4th plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p>In addition, defendant is to recover from 1st
plaintiff 150 pieces of cement blocks or the current value thereof.&nbsp; These refunds to the defendant must be made
within 40 days from today”.<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied with the judgment of the High Court, Accra,
the defendant has mounted this appeal on the following grounds:<o:p></o:p>