GLORIE OSAFO AGYEMANG-DUAH AND OSEI AGYEMANG-DUAH vs. WATCH & DINE LTD. AND 4 OTHERS [2020]DLCA9204

GLORIE OSAFO AGYEMANG-DUAH AND OSEI AGYEMANG-DUAH vs. WATCH & DINE LTD. AND 4 OT... [2020]DLCA9204

Date	2020-07-29
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/48/2020
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA9204

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) JA. (PRESIDING)

A. B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG JA.

SAMUEL K.A. ASIEDU JA.

KWASI AFRIFA FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

HAGGAH ADDO FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

[2020]DLCA9204
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GLORIE OSAFO AGYEMANG-DUAH AND OSEI AGYEMANG-DUAH<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>WATCH &amp; DINE LTD. AND 4 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<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;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWASI AFRIFA FOR THE
PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS<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">

HAGGAH ADDO FOR THE 2ND
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p>ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) JA.
(PRESIDING), A. B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG JA., SAMUEL K.A. ASIEDU JA.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" 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>ASIEDU,
JA.<o:p></o:p>In this Notice of Preliminary Legal
Objection filed on behalf of the Respondents to the Appeal before this Court, counsel
submits that the Written Submissions filed by the Appellant on the 20th
February 2020 and served on the 21st February 2020 is a nullity
because the Written Submissions “preceded the transmission of the Record”
of Appeal.<o:p></o:p>What counsel fails to tell the Court is
the date on which Civil Form 6 was served on the Appellant. For, under Rule
20(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 1997, CI.19, an Appellant who is served
with Civil Form 6 has 21 days to file his Written Submission. The said rule
provides as follows:<o:p></o:p>20.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Written submission
<o:p></o:p>(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;An appellant shall,
within twenty-one days of being notified in the Form 6 set out in Part One of
the Schedule that the record is ready, or within the time that the Court may on
terms direct, file with the Registrar a written submission of the appellant’s
case based on the grounds of appeal as set out in the notice of appeal and any
other ground that the appellant may file.<o:p></o:p>We wish to state in no uncertain terms
that an Appellant is under no legal obligation to wait till the Civil Form 6 is
served on the Respondent before filing his Written Submission. Thus, once the Appellant
has been served with the Civil Form 6, time begins to run for him to file his Written
Submission regardless of whether or not the Respondent has been served with
Civil Form 6. Under the Rules, the trigger for the filing of the Written
Submission by the Appellant is the service on him of Civil Form 6 which
signifies the transmission of the Record of Appeal from the trial court to the
Court of Appeal<o:p></o:p>Indeed, under Rule 20, the duty or
responsibility of the Respondent to an appeal to file his Written Submission
does not arise with the service on him of Civil Form 6. What triggers the Respondent’s
duty to file his Written Submission is clearly provided in Rule 20(4) of the
Rules of the Court of Appeal which states that:<o:p></o:p>(4)&nbsp;&nbsp;A party on whom an
appellant’s written submission is served shall, if that party wishes to contest
the appeal, file the written submission in answer to the appellant’s written
submission within twenty-one days of the service, or within the time that the
Court may on terms direct.<o:p></o:p>Thus, it is when a Respondent has been
served with the Appellant’s Written Submission as stated under rule 20 (4) that
time begins to run for the Respondent to also file his Written Submission
within 21 days of the date of service of the Appellant’s Written Submission.<o:p></o:p>Admittedly, it will be aw</main>