FOSTER SENYO GBEDDIE vs. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA LTD. And NICHOLAS OSEI AKOTO [2019]DLHC10265

Date	2019-10-22
Suit No.	SUIT NO.IL/0031/2015
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10265

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ANANDA J. AIKINS

COUNSEL FOR THE PLAINTIFF: OLIVER ATSU ABADA ESQ.

COUNSEL FOR 1ST DEFENDANT: ESINE OKUDZETO ESQ.

[2019]DLHC10265
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >FOSTER
SENYO GBEDDIE<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>UNITED
BANK FOR AFRICA LTD. And NICHOLAS OSEI AKOTO<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;mso-font-kerning:1.5pt">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO.IL/0031/2015&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: <span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;
mso-font-kerning:1.5pt">22ND OCTOBER 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>COUNSEL FOR THE PLAINTIFF: OLIVER ATSU ABADA, ESQ.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;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">COUNSEL FOR 1ST
DEFENDANT: ESINE OKUDZETO, ESQ.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Courier New&quot;;mso-font-kerning:1.5pt">HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE
ANANDA J. AIKINS<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;1. THE
DECISION<o:p></o:p>It is the opinion of this Court, after a
careful and thorough evaluation of the pleadings and the evidence adduced by
the parties herein, that the case of the plaintiff is made out on a balance of
probabilities (see Section 12 of Evidence Act, 1975, NRCD 323) and that the
plaintiff is entitled to judgment on most of the reliefs he seeks from the Court.
The following discourse will show or demonstrate the reasons for the opinion
expressed above.<o:p></o:p>2. FACTS
OF CASE<o:p></o:p>The material facts of this case are that
the plaintiff was employed by the first defendant in June 2009 as a Banking
Officer and was subsequently promoted to Senior Banking Officer. At the time
relevant to this action, that is 2012, he was the Operations Manager at the
Madina Branch of the first defendant.<o:p></o:p>The first defendant is a company
incorporated under the laws of Ghana to carry on the business of banking whilst
the second defendant was also a driver employed by the first defendant.<o:p></o:p>Around December, 2012, the plaintiff,
driven by the second defendant, was authorized to pick up vault keys from the
Ring Road Branch of the first defendant. On their way to the Ring Road Branch,
they suffered an accident along the Kanda highway. The rear of their vehicle
with registration number GW 5568Z was hit by another car and the plaintiff
suffered some injury which at the initial stage of the accident was thought to
be minor but upon further medical investigations, it turned out that the injury
suffered by the plaintiff was to his spinal cord with its attendant pains which
were very severe that the plaintiff later had to undergo surgery.<o:p></o:p>Following the accident, the plaintiff and
the second defendant went to the Ring Road branch of the first defendant
whereupon he informed them of the accident and also made a complaint at the
Nima Police Station the same day.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff in his quest to treat himself
visited many hospitals including the SSNIT Clinic at Adenta, the North Legon
Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital and the Trust Hospital, Osu. At the 37
Military Hospital he consulted one Dr Deglis who prescribed the administration
of epidural injections to his spine to ease the pain and the wearing of a
lumbar corset to correct the damaged disc in his spine. <o:p></o:p>It was within the same period of epidural
injections that the first defendant wrote letters referring the plaintiff to a
physician, one Dr Derban of Total House Clinic, Accra and subsequently to the
Trust Hospital for medical care and treatment.<o:p></o:p>At the Trust Hospital, Dr. Akoto
recommended immediate surgery and thus conducted a laminectomy and discectomy
surgery on the plaintiff. The surgery was conducted on 12th May,
2013 and the plaintiff was discharged three days later and given drugs to ease
his pain. He was also given an excuse duty for two months to enable him
recuperate at home.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The first defendant thereafter wrote to the
Trust Hospital, through the plaintiff, requesting for a medical report on the
treatment and conditions of the plaintiff. A medical report was submitted to
the first defendant but it rejected the report claiming it was unsatisfactory.
The first defendant further requested that the medical report be modified to
meet its standards.<o:p></o:p</main>