MARY ASIRIFI AND PRISCILLA ASIRIFI vs. KWEKU GYIMAH AND LANDS COMMISSION [2019]DLHC8783

Date	2019-07-17
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FAL/545/2011
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC8783

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ANTHONY OPPONG

MR. FELIX QUARTEY ESQ. FOR PLAINTIFFS

MR. YAW OPOKU ADJAYE ESQ. FOR 1ST DEFENDANT

[2019]DLHC8783
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MARY ASIRIFI AND PRISCILLA
ASIRIFI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KWEKU GYIMAH AND LANDS
COMMISSION<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<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/545/2011&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:17TH&nbsp; JULY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
FELIX QUARTEY ESQ., FOR PLAINTIFFS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
YAW OPOKU ADJAYE ESQ., FOR 1ST DEFENDANT<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%;
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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>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>In the Amended Writ of Summons and Amended Statement of
Claim filed on 14th April 2014, Plaintiffs claimed against the 1st
Defendant: declaration of title to all that piece or parcel of about 0.26 acre
land situate and lying at Gbawe South, Accra the full description of which was
stated in paragraph 2 of the Amended Statement of Claim; an order of perpetual
injunction against 1st Defendant, his assigns and agents, workmen
etc. from trespassing unto the said land and interfering with Plaintiffs’ quiet
enjoyment of same; an order against the 1st Defendant to pay for the
cost of the two trips of sand and one trip of stones and the 2,000 blocks at
the current market value and costs.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It must be noted that on the endorsement on the Amended Writ
of Summons, in addition to the reliefs alluded to supra Plaintiffs prayed for
damages for trespass. But the relief of general damages was not mentioned in
the Amended Statement of Claim. The effect of this omission is that Plaintiffs are
deemed to abandon or waive that claim. The law is that a claim on the Writ of Summons
which is not repeated in the Statement of Claim is deemed to be abandoned. Thus
where a claim or relief contained in a Writ of Summons is not repeated in the
statement of claim, since reliefs which are stated in the statement of claim
and on the facts which have been pleaded take precedence over the endorsement
on the writ, the Plaintiff is deemed to have elected to abandon the claim.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Hayfron-Benjamin J in the case of ANTWI v. AMPONSAH AND ANOTHER (1964) GLR 531 held that because the Plaintiff’s
Statement of Claim did not repeat the claim for mesne profit, on the authority
of CARGILL V. BOWER (1878) 10 CH.D.
502, he was deemed to have elected to abandon it. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs averred that they obtained a lease over the land
they are claiming from the Gbawe Kwatei family of Accra acting by its Head and Lawful
representative Nii Adam Kwatei Quartey with the consent and concurrence of the
principal members of the said family. This was in 2010, after Plaintiffs alleged
they conducted a search which pointed to the said family as the owners of the
land.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiffs alluded to the existence of a Supreme Court judgment
which is in favor of Gbawe Kwatei family in respect of a larger parcel of land
of which the land described in this suit formed part.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>By way of acts of possession Plaintiffs claimed that after
the lease of the land to them, they erected corner pillars and deposited two full
truckloads of sand and one trip of stones and 2000 blocks on the land.
Plaintiffs averred that 1st Defendant has used the materials on the
land to erect fence wall around the land to their utter dismay.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiff averred further that when 1st Defendant
was confronted he laid a c</main>