[2017]DLHC2072 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">CECILIA NKETIA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">ALICE VIOLET KUMA</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[HIGH COURT </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(COMMERCIAL DIVISION),</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> ACCRA]</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination: none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow: yes"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">SUIT NO.: BDC/10/2015 </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">22<sup>ND</sup> DECEMBER, 2017<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. AARON ANIM FOR THE DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MS. ABENA AIDOO FOR MR. A. SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""></span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">CORAM: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">HIS LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU, J.<o:p></o:p></span></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" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">By a writ of summons issued on the 6<sup>th</sup> May 2015, the plaintiff in this matter claims against the defendant<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">“An order for the refund of US$97,000.00 being the purchase price paid by the Plaintiff to the Defendant for the House No. 8, Community 3, Tema, the consideration of which has failed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Interest on US$97,000.00 from 1<sup>st</sup> December 2008 to date of final payment at the prevailing bank rate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">General Damages<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Costs.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">After the service of the writ and its accompanying statement of claim, the defendant filed an appearance and later a statement of defence in which she counterclaim against the plaintiff:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">A declaration that the Plaintiff is in breach of contract,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Damages for breach of contract.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Cost.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The case was set down for hearing after the failure of pre-trial settlement. The parties gave evidence and closed their case without calling any witness to testify.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">From the pleadings of the parties the court finds that the parties agree that in the year 2006, they entered into an agreement for the defendant to sell and convey House number 8, Community 3, Tema to the plaintiff at a price of $120,000.00. There is also no dispute, from the pleadings, that at the time of the agreement the defendant was and is still in occupation of the property concerned. The court also finds from the pleadings that the parties agreed that the defendant will vacate the property in question between a period of six to eight months after the plaintiff had completed the payment of the purchase price. This finding is also supported by exhibit ‘B’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The court again finds from the pleadings of the parties that by the 30<sup>th</sup> October 2007, the plaintiff had paid an amount of $93, 000.00 to the defendant towards the purchase price of the house in question leaving a balance of $27,000.00 as shown by ‘C’. The defendant admitted this fact in paragraph 6 of her statement of defence. And it is also a fact, as stated in the pleadings that by November 2008 the plaintiff had reduced the purchase by $97,000.00 leaving a balance of $23,000.00<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The court further, finds from the pleadings that the defendant has admitted that in March 2011, the plaintiff went to pay the balance of the purchase price to the defendant but the defendant demanded that the plaintiff adds some more money to the balance to compensate for the long time it has taken the plaintiff to pay the purchase price as a result of which the plaintiff agreed to pay $30,000.00 but the defendant rejected that sum and demanded that the plaintiff, instead, should pay $38,000.00. Thereafter, the defendant, in a lette