KOJO KOOMSON vs. DE SIMONE LIMITED. [2018]DLHC9198

Date	2018-11-28
Suit No.	SUIT NO. CM/BDC/0527/18
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC9198

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE

PATRICK JUSTICE ENNIN ESQ. OF DAVIES & DAVIS ADABRAKA ACCRA COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

WILLIAM ADOTEI ADDO ESQ. OF NII OKANTEY CHAMBERS ACCRA COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT

[2018]DLHC9198
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KOJO KOOMSON<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DE
SIMONE LIMITED.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO. CM/BDC/0527/18&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: 28TH NOVEMBER, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>PATRICK JUSTICE ENNIN, ESQ., OF DAVIES &amp; DAVIS,
ADABRAKA, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<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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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">WILLIAM ADOTEI ADDO, ESQ., OF NII
OKANTEY CHAMBERS, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT<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="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Before me is a motion on notice
filed by the Defendant/Applicant praying for an order to set aside the default
judgment obtained against it by the Plaintiff/Respondent on September 6, 2018
upon grounds contained in the accompanying affidavit.&nbsp; In this ruling, the Defendant/Applicant shall
be referred to as the Applicant and the Plaintiff/Respondent shall be referred
to as Respondent.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>According to the Applicant, the
Respondent on July 19, 2018 sued out a writ of summons accompanied by a
statement of claim against the Applicant seeking the specific reliefs endorsed
on the writ of summons.&nbsp; These processes
were duly served on the Applicant through the secretary on August 3, 2018,
during the legal vacation.&nbsp; Having failed
to enter appearance within the period provided by the Rules of Court Procedure,
the Respondent filed and obtained final judgment against the Applicant on
September 6, 2018 in default of appearance.&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p>In the affidavit accompanying the
Motion to Set Aside the Default Judgment, which was sworn to by counsel, who is
one of the lawyers representing the Applicant, he avers that the processes were
brought to the attention of the Applicant but “the company lawyers took their
time to enter appearance and file a defence to the action as time did not run[sic]
during the legal vacation.”&nbsp; I will in
due course comment on this averment in this Ruling.&nbsp; But suffice it to say that the Applicant
claims that it has a good defence to the action and has attached a copy of a
proposed Statement of Defence to the affidavit in support.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Respondent opposes a grant of
the application on grounds which are set out in his affidavit in opposition. In
essence it is the Respondent’s contention that the Judgment in Default of
Appearance was in respect of a liquidated claim and also as a final judgment of
the court, the only recourse of the Applicant is to appeal against the
judgement and not to seek to set it aside.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>