MESSRS ASKUS. COMPANY vs. HARRY BOAKYE, JOJO BONNEY AND GUINNESS GHANA BREWERIES GROUP [2016]DLSC2857

MESSRS ASKUS. COMPANY vs. HARRY BOAKYE, JOJO BONNEY AND GUINNESS GHANA BREWERIES... [2016]DLSC2857

Date	2016-04-20
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/14/2015
Citation No.	[2016]DLSC2857

AKUFFO (MS.) JSC (PRESIDING)

GBADEGBE JSC

AKOTO- BAMFO (MRS) JSC

APPAU JSC

PWAMANG JSC

BRIGHT OBENG MANU ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/ APPELLANT

ERIC MENSAH ESQ. WITH HIM JERRY DEI FOR THE DEFENDANTS / APPELLANTS/RESPONDENTS

[2016]DLSC2857
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MESSRS ASKUS. COMPANY<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HARRY BOAKYE, JOJO
BONNEY AND GUINNESS GHANA BREWERIES GROUP<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/14/2015 &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;DATE:
20TH APRIL, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>BRIGHT OBENG MANU ESQ.&nbsp; FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/ APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ERIC MENSAH ESQ.&nbsp;&nbsp; WITH HIM JERRY DEI FOR THE DEFENDANTS /
APPELLANTS/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;
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AKUFFO (MS.) JSC
(PRESIDING), GBADEGBE JSC, AKOTO- BAMFO (MRS) JSC, APPAU JSC, AND PWAMANG JSC<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;
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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>YAW APPAU, JSC:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;This
is an appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal dated 31st January
2014. The grounds of appeal are threefold and they are as follows:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the learned justices
of the Court of Appeal erred in law when they substituted their judgment for
that of the trial High Court.<o:p></o:p>PARTICULARS OF ERROR OF LAW:
Failing to make any Order in respect of certain reliefs granted the appellant
herein by the trial High court and yet substituting its judgment for that of
the trial High Court though the said reliefs were not appealed against by the
defendants/appellants/respondents.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The learned justices of
the Court of Appeal failed to exercise their discretion judicially when they
substituted the award of Eighty thousand Ghana cedis (GH₵80,000.00)
made in favour of the plaintiff/respondent/appellant by the learned trial judge
with Five thousand Ghana cedis (GH₵5,000.00)
as General Damages.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The judgment is against
the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p>The
facts in this case are straightforward and not in controversy whatsoever. The
appellant, who was the plaintiff in the trial High Court and would be simply
referred to as ‘appellant’ in this judgment, was the distributor of the
products of the 3rd defendant/appellant/respondent. The 1st
and 2nd defendants/appellants/respondents were staff of the 3rd
defendant/appellant/respondent. Since all three were sued jointly, they would
all be referred to simply as ‘respondents’ in this judgment.<o:p></o:p>The
respondents and their predecessors supplied the appellant with products from
their company under their usual trade agreement on various occasions spanning a
period of over thirty years. The agreement was that the appellant was to pay
for the supplies by the issuance of cheques to be cleared by the 3rd
respondent ten (10) days after each supply. <o:p></o:p>