MRS. GYAMPOH & 3 OTHERS vs. UNION SAVINGS AND LOAN CO. LTD. [2017]DLHC9179

Date	2017-02-08
Suit No.	SUITNO. CM/OCC/0742/16
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC9179

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE

NANA AKWASI AWUAH ESQ. OF AB LEXMALL & ASSOCIATES ACCRA COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT

THEOPHILUS KPORVIE ESQ. OF POUZING & ASSOCIATES ACCRA COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

[2017]DLHC9179
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MRS. GYAMPOH &amp; 3 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>UNION SAVINGS AND LOAN CO. LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<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;
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SUITNO. CM/OCC/0742/16&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>NANA AKWASI AWUAH, ESQ., OF AB LEXMALL
&amp; ASSOCIATES, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT<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" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">THEOPHILUS KPORVIE, ESQ., OF POUZING &amp; ASSOCIATES,
ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS<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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal;
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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>On November
3, 2016, the Plaintiffs/Respondents (hereinafter, the “Respondents”) took out a
writ of summons and statement of claim against the Defendant/Applicant
(hereinafter, the “Applicant”) seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>“a.&nbsp;&nbsp; An order to set aside the mortgage of the
property.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Damages of trespass<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mesne profit of GH¢10,000.00 a month
from July 2016 until the date that the property is discharged and possession
given back to the Plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p>d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages<o:p></o:p>e.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Costs including solicitors fees.”<o:p></o:p>It
is the said writ of summons and accompanying statement of claim that the
Applicant now seeks an Order of this Court to set aside by this application.
The grounds supporting the application are set out in its accompanying
affidavit.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Before I delve into the merits of this
application, there is a preliminary matter that I would like to dispose
of.&nbsp; It is noted that the
Applicant entered conditional appearance to the suit on November 25, 2016 and
filed the present application on February 2, 2016.&nbsp; A reading of Order 9 rules 7 and 8 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules,
2004 (C.I. 47) &nbsp;provides, inter
alia, that a conditional appearance shall become an unconditional
appearance unless a defendant applies to the court within fourteen (14) days
after filing his appearance for an order to set aside the writ or service of
the writ.&nbsp; Clearly, the Applicant’s
application to set aside the writ of summons is outside the fourteen days
provided by the rules of court and the appearance that was filed on its behalf
is no longer a conditional one.&nbsp; Can the
Applicant mount this application in the circumstances?&nbsp; It is my considered opinion, that even where
a conditional appearance has morphed into an unconditional appearance on behalf
of a defendant, that defendant is not precluded from applying for an order to
set aside the writ at any time thereafter depending on the grounds canvassed in
support of the application.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The wording of Order 9 rule 8 of the C.I. 47
suggests that the circumstances under which a defendant may apply to the court
to set aside a writ as pr</main>