TSATSU TSIKATA vs. TULLOW GHANA LTD. [2016]DLHC9069

Date	2016-02-08
Suit No.	SUIT NO. BDC/19/2015
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC9069

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE

TONY LITHUR ESQ. OF LITHUR BREW & CO. FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT

EDWARD BOATENG-ADDO ESQ. WITH JOSEPH KONADU ESQ. OF ENSafrica FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2016]DLHC9069
																																						<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" >TSATSU TSIKATA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPLICAN)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>TULLOW GHANA LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, 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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO. BDC/19/2015&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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:
8TH FEBRUARY, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>TONY LITHUR, ESQ. OF LITHUR BREW &amp;
CO. FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT<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;margin-left:0cm;margin-right:4.75pt">

EDWARD
BOATENG-ADDO, ESQ. WITH JOSEPH KONADU, ESQ. OF ENSafrica FOR
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER
LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>In this action the Plaintiff/Applicant
(hereinafter, “Applicant”) is alleging against the Defendant/Respondent,
(hereinafter, “Respondent”) unlawful or tortious interference with business
relations of Applicant and inducement of breaches of contract in which Applicant
has a beneficial interest. The Applicant has applied to this court for an order
compelling the Respondent to furnish Applicant with further and better
particulars of specific paragraphs of the Statement of Defence filed by the Respondent.
It is the case of Applicant that he requires the said particulars to enable him
file a Reply that is adequately responsive to the Respondent’s Statement of
Defence.<o:p></o:p>Resisting the application for further
and better particulars, the Respondent submitted that Applicant’s request was
merely a fishing expedition aimed at finding information in the form of evidence
to support his case; that based on his own Statement of Claim, the Applicant
should have had the information that he is requesting from the Respondent in
this application; and that the material facts pleaded by the Respondent are
enough to avoid any surprise to the Applicant at trial.<o:p></o:p>The issue which I have to resolve in
this application is whether or not the object of the information requested by Applicant
in his application for further and better particulars is to obtain particulars
of the evidence of the Respondent? <o:p></o:p>In answering this issue, I have
examined all the processes filed in this case thus far by both parties.&nbsp; I have also given my thoughtful consideration
to the rival contentions of the parties in this application as argued out
before me by counsel setting out their respective positions on this matter.
Thoughtful consideration has also been given to the relevant provisions of the
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I 47), the case law and the
principles governing the grant or otherwise of an order to compel a party to
furnish the other party with further and better particulars.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The portions of the C.I. 47 which are
relevant to the determination of this application, being Orders 7, 8 and 12,
state as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 37.3pt; margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">“7. (1)
Subject to this rule, and rules 10 to 12, every pleading shall contain only a
statement in a summary form of the material facts on which the party pleading
relies for the claim or defence, but not the evidence by which those facts are
to be proved, and the statement shall be as brief as the nature of the case
admits.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 37.3pt; margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">(2) Without
prejudice to sub rule (1), the effect of any document or the purport of any
conversation referred to in the pleading shall, if material, be briefly stated,
and the precise words of the document or conversation shall not be stated,
except in so far as those words are themselves material.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 37.3pt; margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">(3) A party need not plead any fact if it is
presumed by law to be true or the burden of disproving it lies on the other
party, unless the other party has specifically denied it in that party's
pleading.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 37.3pt; margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; backgr</main>