FRANK ADJEI AND MRS. JEMIMA ADJEI vs. DOCTOR TONINGA [2019]DLHC8781

Date	2019-01-16
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FAL/436/13
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC8781

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ANTHONY OPPONG

YUSIF NASHIRU FOR PLAINTIFFS – ABSENT

J. K. YEBOAH FOR DEFENDANTS – ABSENT

[2019]DLHC8781
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >FRANK ADJEI AND MRS.
JEMIMA ADJEI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DOCTOR
TONINGA <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SUIT NO. FAL/436/13&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:
16TH JANUARY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>YUSIF
NASHIRU FOR PLAINTIFFS – ABSENT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

J.
K. YEBOAH FOR DEFENDANTS – ABSENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ANTHONY OPPONG<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:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs obtained 99-year lease dated 25th
August 2004 from Numo Sowah Din Okperlor family of Teshie through Nii Okperlor
Jacob Ablorh Mensah, the lawful attorney of the said family. Plaintiffs
registered the land and obtained Land Title Certificate dated 30th
November 2010 with Number TD 5006.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs averred that they entered possession of the land
which was vacant at the time and in enjoying the possession they put up four
bed room footing on the land. Defendant disturbed the possession and attempted
to build a fence wall and Plaintiffs reported the trespass to Nmai Dzorn
Police.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs averred further that at another time one Alhaji
Fuseini, acting upon Defendant’s instructions, came to demolish their four bed
room footing. Plaintiffs reconstructed the footing and filled it with sand and Defendant
again sent one Nii Teiko together with other land guards armed with offensive
weapons and they damaged the reconstructed footing and so Plaintiffs once again
made a complaint to the Nmai Dzorn Police.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs averred that Defendant and her agents went unto
the land and used Plaintiffs’ building materials on the land to build a fence
wall and a two-bed room house on the land.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs regarded these acts of Defendant as constituting
trespass and since Defendant persisted in that conduct Plaintiffs on 5th
March 2013 caused the Writ of Summons to issue and the reliefs claimed were:
declaration of title to all that land situate and lying and being at Nmai
Dzorn, Teshie and containing an approximate area of 0.16 Acre; recovery of
possession; perpetual injunction and damages for trespass.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Defendant was served with the Writ and Statement of Claim on
the 18th March 2013 but Defendant defaulted in filing Defence in
time and Plaintiffs applied for and obtained interlocutory judgment in default
of Defence. However, the judgment was subsequently set aside upon an
application by Defendant. In consequence, it was not until 16th
August 2013 that Statement of Defence and Counter-Claim was filed. In effect,
instead of less than a month for Defence to be filed to the suit it took about
five months for Defence to be filed. Such a practice is uncomplimentary of the
underlying policy of the Rules of Court as spelt out in Order 1 Rule 1(2) of
C.I.47 whereby premium is now placed on avoiding not only delays but also
unnecessary expense in litigation.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In the Defence, the Defendant also claimed to have acquired 0.32-acre
land in 2004 from Okpelor Sowah Din family of Teshie, Accra. Defendant claimed
that she acquired four plots of land for her children, Claudius, Cephas and
Timothy. According to the Defendant it was out of the two plots acquired in the
name of Timothy that Plaintiffs are claiming one.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Defendant averred that she initially bought the land from
one George but when she sought to process the documents on the land the
documents were not accepted and was di</main>