YUSIF TAJU & 3 OTHERS vs. MERCY ASIEDU & SEVEN OTHERS [2020]DLHC10700

Date	2020-03-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ/0259/2020
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC10700

KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO J

MR. KWADWO ADDEAH-SAFO FOR THE PLAINTIFF - PRESENT

ALEX OWOO FOR THE 1ST AND 5TH DEFENDANTS - PRESENT

KWAME DICKSON S. ASIRI FOR THE 6TH DEFENDANT – ABSENT

[2020]DLHC10700
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >YUSIF TAJU &amp; 3 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MERCY ASIEDU &amp; SEVEN
OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO: GJ/0259/2020 &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:
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">26TH MARCH, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p>MR. KWADWO ADDEAH-SAFO FOR THE
PLAINTIFF - PRESENT<o:p></o:p>ALEX OWOO FOR THE 1ST AND 5TH
DEFENDANTS - PRESENT<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;">

KWAME DICKSON S.
ASIRI FOR THE 6TH DEFENDANT – ABSENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p>KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO, J<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:normal;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">MOTION ON NOTICE
FOR AN ORDER TO STRIKE OUT PLAINTIFF’S WRIT OF SUMMONS AND STATEMENT OF CLAIM<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;Background:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The facts of this case are free from
complexity. On November 19, 2019 the Plaintiffs issued the instant writ of
summons against the named Defendants for the reliefs endorsed on the writ.
Counsel for the 1st to 5th Defendants and the 7th Defendant entered conditional
appearance on November 27, 2019 and on December 27, 2019 filed the instant
application pursuant to Order 11 Rule 18
(1) (a) of C.I. 47.&nbsp; The Court ordered Counsel to file their
written submission and both Mr. Owoo and Addeah Safo have complied. Mr. Owoo
wrote at paragraph 10 of his submissions as follows:<o:p></o:p>“…the
suit as brought is to protect AUDIOVISUAL SOCIETY OF GHANA in its contractual
relationship with the 1st to 5th Defendants/Respondents.
Consequently the Plaintiff/Respondents do not have capacity to bring this
action as Directors nor as Members”<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[2]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From the above
it is clear that though the Applicant may have other grounds for the
application, the issue of capacity is one of the grounds for the instant
application. The question therefore is: is the procedure adopted by the
Applicant the right one? <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His Lordship,
Dotse JSC in the case of FOSUA &amp;
ADU-POKU v. DUFIE (Deceased) &amp; ADU-POKU MENSAH [2009] SCGLR 310
opined that “Want of capacity is a point of law which, if raised, goes to the
root of the action”. I note that before the elucidation of the law by the
respected Dotse JSC it was held in SARKODEE
I vs. BOATENG II [1982-1983] GLR 715, that<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“It
was elementary that a Plaintiff or Petitioner whose capacity was put in issue must establish it by cogent
evidence. And it was no answer for a party whose capacity to initiate
proceedings had been challenged by his adversary, to plead that he should be
given a hearing on the merits because he had a cast-iron case against his
opponent.”<o:p></o:p>