BENEDICTA QUAO vs. CHRISTIAN ACTION FAITH MINISTRY [2018]DLHC6289

Date	2018-11-08
Suit No.	Suit No. RPC/289/13
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC6289

JENNIFER DODOO (MRS)

ZIYERLEY AGBAMBILLA FOR PLAINTIFF

EDNA LOUISA AKULIGA FOR DEFENDANT

[2018]DLHC6289
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >BENEDICTA QUAO<o:p></o:p>{PLAINTIFF}<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>CHRISTIAN ACTION FAITH MINISTRY<o:p></o:p>{DEFENDANT}<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), 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">

Suit No. RPC/289/13&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 NOVEMBER 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p>ZIYERLEY AGBAMBILLA FOR PLAINTIFF<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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EDNA LOUISA AKULIGA FOR DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>JENNIFER DODOO (MRS) JUSTICE OF THE
HIGH COURT<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:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>The pleadings of the parties to this
suit show that a road traffic accident involving their vehicles occurred on 13th
January 2013.&nbsp; The Plaintiff who
described herself as a Consultant and Lecturer, claimed against the Defendant,
a Church, the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">GH¢50,000.00 being the value of
 the damaged vehicle.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Damages for loss of the vehicle
 being GH¢150 per day from the date of the accident being January 13, 2013
 to date of replacement of vehicle or date of final payment<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Interest on damages from date
 of judgment till date of final payment.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Costs, including legal costs.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It was the Plaintiff’s case that on
the day of the incident, the Defendant’s driver who was in charge of the
Defendant’s vehicle negligently drove into her vehicle crushing it and damaging
it beyond repair.&nbsp; The particulars of
negligence were listed as:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2">He hit the Plaintiff from the
 rear<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2">He drove too fast.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2">He was under the influence of
 alcohol.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2">Failed to keep a proper look
 out<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2">Failed to stop, to slow down,
 to swerve or in any other way so to control the bus as to avoid hitting
 the Plaintiff’s car from the rear or at all.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It was her case that she and her children
who were in the car with her suffered various degrees of injury and were
traumatized in the process. It was her case that due to the injuries she had
suffered, she had been experiencing excruciating pains in her back.&nbsp; &nbsp;The
Defendant had failed to replace her vehicle and that she had had to incur huge
expenses in hiring a taxi to transport her children to school and herself to
work.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Defendant denied any negligence
and said the accident was not as a result of any act of commission or omission
of its driver but rather due to circumstances beyond his control.&nbsp; The Defendant denied the contention that its
driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the said accident.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>According to the Defendant, the
Police advised both parties to make a claim with their respective insurers as
neither party was at fault.&nbsp; It contended
that the Plaintiff made a claim on her insurers as her vehicle was
comprehensively insured and that the claim was fully settled.&nbsp; It therefore accused the Plaintiff of seeking
to commit fraud by making claims against it.&nbsp;
The Defendant gave the particulars of fraud as being:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">The Plaintiff seeking to
 recover the cost of replacing the said damaged vehicle which insurers had
 already settled and paid to the Plaintiff before the Plaintiff instituted
 this instant action in Court.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3">By the Plaintiff jacking up the
 value of the damaged vehicle as per her claim from the Defendant in order
 to recover more than double the actual value of her said damaged vehicle.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The issues forwarded to this court
for trial were:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l6 level1 lfo4">Whether or not the Defendant’s
 driver negligently drove into the Plaintiff’s vehicle?<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l6 level1 lfo4">