KWAKU BOTWCHWAY & ANO. vs. MARK ANTHONY NDABIA [2020]DLHC10424

Date	2020-06-08
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: LD/0002/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC10424

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ELLEN VIVIAN AMOAH

[2020]DLHC10424
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KWAKU BOTWCHWAY &amp; ANO.<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MARK ANTHONY NDABIA<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[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;">

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ELLEN VIVIAN AMOAH<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">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;This is a ruling pursuant to
a preliminary legal objection filed on the 19th of March 2019.&nbsp; The first time we appeared, counsel for the
appellant wrote a letter requesting for an adjournment.&nbsp; On the adjourned date, counsel did not appear
but sent a colleague counsel to come and asked for a date.&nbsp; Subsequently we have to serve counsel with a
hearing notice to appear before the court.&nbsp;
And on the said the court orders that we serve another hearing notice on
the defendant. &nbsp;The hearing notice has
been served and there proof of service of same.&nbsp;
The defendant/appellant is not in court and his counsel is not in court
also.&nbsp; We respectfully pray that our
application be heard.&nbsp; If the court will
care to take a look at the proof of service.&nbsp;
We pray the we have a preliminary legal objection against the notice of
appeal filed by the defendant/appellant on the grounds that the court
jurisdiction has not been validly invoke under section 21 (2) of the courts Act
(Act 459) with amendment 620 and 674.&nbsp; We
further submit that the court’s jurisdiction has also not been validly invoke
per order 51 rule 3 (2) of the High Court Civil Procedure rule 2004 of CI
47.&nbsp; The rules provides that for a party
to appeal an interlocutory decision of a lower court, the party must first seek
the leave of the lower court and if that application is refuse repeat the
application at the High Court before filing the notice of appeal.&nbsp; We submit that the defendant/appellant did
not bring his notice of appeal with the rules of court.&nbsp; We rely on the SC decision of Dolphyne (No. 1) v. Speedline Stevedoring
&amp; anor. 1996-97 SCGLR @ 182.&nbsp; We
pray that the notice of appeal filed by the defendant/appellant be struck out
as being incompetent.&nbsp; We humbly submit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">1.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This is address filed on behalf of the
Plaintiff/Respondents in respect of a preliminary legal objection filed on 19th
of March 2019. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">2.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
THE FACTS: My Lord, <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">2.1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Plaintiffs/Respondents lodged a complaint at the
Rent Control office against the Defendant/Appellants. That pursuant to the
provisions in the Rent Act 1963, (Act 220), the rent officer referred the
complaint to the Rent Magistrate for enforcement of his recommendations. That
when the parties appeared before the District Magistrate (Court 4), she ordered
the parties to file their pleadings. The suit No before the District Magistrate
court 4 was titled “ Kwaku Botchway vrs Anthony Ndabiah and suit No: A 9/
151/2017. It was brought to the attention of the District Magistrate that the
complainants were two and court directed that the pleadings should have the
names of the complainants.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">2.2&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the Plaintiffs/ Appellants filed their statement
of claim.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>