MOSES ADJEI AFFUM & ANOR vs. ABUSUAPANYIN KOFI OWUSU [2018]DLCA6190

Date	2018-11-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/03/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA6190

K. A. ACQUAYE JA (PRESIDING)

S. KWAKU GYAN JA

M. MABEL AGYEMANG (MRS) JA

MR. KOFI DJIN FOR THE DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS

MR. KWADWO ADDEAH SAFO FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2018]DLCA6190
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MOSES ADJEI AFFUM &amp;
ANOR<o:p></o:p>[DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS]<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ABUSUAPANYIN KOFI OWUSU<o:p></o:p>[PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT]<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<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">

SUIT NO. H1/03/2018&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: 27TH NOVEMBER, 2018<o:p></o:p>

MR.
KWADWO ADDEAH SAFO FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>SAEED K. GYAN, JA:<o:p></o:p>By
his Written Submission filed on 15/01/2018 Learned Counsel for the
“Defendants/Appellants” had presented this Court with a clearly incongruous
“appeal”.<o:p></o:p>On
the very first page of Learned Counsel’s aforesaid Written submission he
delivers himself thus:<o:p></o:p>“The
Defendants appeal will encompass the two rulings Her&nbsp; Ladyship Justice Barbara Ward Acquah (Mrs) J,
delivered on <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 25th January 2016 (captured on pages
150-151 on Records of Proceedings volume one) and <o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 15th July 2016 (captured on page
181-183 on Records of Proceedings volume Two).<o:p></o:p>The
Defendants aggrieved by these two rulings have filed this appeal. The grounds
of Appeal are found on pages 184-185 on Record of Proceedings. There are seven
grounds of Appeal” (Emphasis provided)<o:p></o:p>Learned
counsel then proceeded to “consider” his grounds of appeal “in the reverse
order starting with ground f” to the effect that “the Judgment of 21st April
2015 is unassailably sound and the Ruling of 25th January 2016 is void”.<o:p></o:p>The
Notice of Appeal relevant to this case can be found on page 184 of the Record
of Appeal. (Volume Two). It was filed on 20th July 2016.<o:p></o:p>That
Notice of Appeal was clearly stated to be against “the ruling of Her Ladyship
Mrs Barbara Ward Acquah Justice sitting at the High Court, Koforidua on the 15th
day of July 2016…” which appears on page 181 of the said record of appeal.<o:p></o:p>The
reliefs sought in the appeal were two fold, namely;<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“&nbsp; a)
The whole ruling be set aside<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; b)&nbsp;
Defendants’ application be granted”. <o:p></o:p>The
grounds of appeal contained in the Notice of Appeal filed on 20/7/2016 are set
out in full as follows:<o:p></o:p>a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The ruling of Her Ladyship is not
supported by the law.<o:p></o:p>b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The ruling of Her Ladyship is not
supported by the evidence<o:p></o:p>c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;
i) The learned Judge erred on the facts when she held that the
defendants intended to move their motion on ground&nbsp;&nbsp; of fraud and not on grounds of mistake and
suppression of material facts as they claimed.<o:p></o:p>ii)&nbsp; The learned Judge erred in law when she held
that because Defendants had intended to move the motion on the grounds of fraud
they could not in law move the motion at all and therefore the order setting
aside the judgment remained&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The learned Judge erred in law when she
held that failure of Plaintiff’s Lawyer to serve his client, the Plaintiff,
with the notice of his withdrawal rendered the subsequent proceedings void.<o:p></o:p>e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The learned Judge erred on the facts
and in law when she held that Plaintiff did not know the Defendants intended to
pursue their counterclaim and therefore the subsequent Judgment was void as
Plaintiff was served with hearing notice on the 18th January, 2014 days after
the Plaintiff’s lawyer withdrew from the case on 15th January 2014 and
Plaintiff was sub</main>