GRACE ASUAMAH AND VICTOR OWUSU vs. FELICIA ADOFO (SUSSITUTED BY DONNA A. OKORIE) [2021]DLCA10803

GRACE ASUAMAH AND VICTOR OWUSU vs. FELICIA ADOFO (SUSSITUTED BY DONNA A. OKORIE... [2021]DLCA10803

Date	2021-06-10
Suit No.	-
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10803

MARGARET WELBOURNE (MRS) JA PRESIDING

AMMA GAISIE (MRS) JA

ADJEI FRIMPONG JA

FRANCIS KWAME OFFIN FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

BOATENG BARFI-ANKRAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA10803
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GRACE ASUAMAH AND VICTOR OWUSU<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FELICIA ADOFO (SUSSITUTED<o:p></o:p>BY DONNA A. OKORIE)<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, 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>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>FRANCIS KWAME OFFIN FOR
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<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" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:83.25pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">BOATENG
BARFI-ANKRAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>MARGARET WELBOURNE (MRS) JA PRESIDING,
AMMA GAISIE (MRS) JA, ADJEI FRIMPONG JA<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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;ADJEI
FRIMPONG JA:<o:p></o:p>The
quest of this appeal is essentially, to determine whether or not the conclusion
of the trial court that, the judgment pronounced in two previous consolidated
suits was obtained by fraud, can be justified. As it pertained in the trial
court, the issue of fraud relative to the aforesaid judgment lies at the heart
of this appeal. For convenience, we first relate the short history of the
dispute as follows:<o:p></o:p>Sometime
around 1993 and 1994, two separate suits were commenced at the High Court Accra.
The first suit bearing number L 437/94 was entitled:<o:p></o:p>FELICIA ADOFO <o:p></o:p>VRS <o:p></o:p>VICTOR OWUSU<o:p></o:p>KWAKU OBENG<o:p></o:p>MRS OBENG.<o:p></o:p>The
plaintiff in that suit was Felicia Adofo, mother and predecessor of the present
defendant/appellant (appellant). She had sought as against the three
defendants, a declaration of title and other ancillary reliefs in respect of a
plot of land described as situate at Dome Village Accra. The 1st defendant
in that suit Victor Owusu is one of the respondents in this appeal. From the
record, he was substituted for his late brother, one H.O Boateng in that
action. He mounted a counterclaim against the plaintiff for a plot of land
which he claimed his brother acquired from the Neefu Family.<o:p></o:p>The
other suit, bearing number 2281/93 was commenced by Grace Asuamah and entitled:<o:p></o:p>GRACE ASUAMAH<o:p></o:p>VRS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>FELICIA ADOFO.<o:p></o:p>The
plaintiff in this other suit made some monetary claim against the defendant Grace
Adofo, the plaintiff in the first suit. Apparently, as the monetary claim was
in relation to the land, subject matter of the first suit, Grace Adofo mounted
a counterclaim seeking against Asuamah, the same reliefs she had sought in the
first suit. Grace Asuamah is one of the plaintiffs/respondents (respondents)
before us.<o:p></o:p>In
the course of the proceedings, the suits were consolidated and subsequently placed
before Kwasi Dapaah J at the Land Court, for trial. This was based on a warrant
of transfer under the hand of the Chief Justice pursuant to Section 104 of the
Courts Act. 1993 (Act 459) as amended. It was whilst the matter was pending before
Kwasi Dapaah J that the controversy culminating in this appeal ensued. We shall
presently state the rival accounts of the parties. <o:p></o:p>From
the record however, the learned Judge upon making various orders for purposes
of service of hearing notices on the respondents and satisfying himself that
they had notice of the trial for which they did not appear, proceeded to hear
the matter in their absence. In the end, he found the case of the appellant’s
mother established and gave judgment in her favour. In effect, both the claim
of Felicia Adofo in her own suit No. L 437/94 and her counterclaim in suit No.
2281/93 were upheld whilst the counterclaim of 2nd respondent,
Victor Owusu in the former and the claim of Grace Asuamah in the latter was
dismissed.<o:p></o:p>Now,
on the basis that no hearing notices were duly served on them personally or by
substitution </main>