ABIANA NELSON vs. ADAM ABDUL-RAHMAN [2022]DLHC11454

Date	2022-03-22
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FAL/545/14
Citation No.	[2022]DLHC11454

JUSTICE SOLOMON OPPONG-TWUMASI

PETER ZWENNES WITH NOEL BREMPONG AND VERONICA DOSSAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF

DANIYAL ABDUL-KARIM WITH AMINA ALI FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2022]DLHC11454
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ABIANA NELSON<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ADAM ABDUL-RAHMAN<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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-left:108.0pt;text-align:center;
text-indent:-108.0pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO. FAL/545/14&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:
22ND MARCH, 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p>PETER
ZWENNES WITH NOEL BREMPONG AND VERONICA DOSSAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF <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;">

DANIYAL
ABDUL-KARIM WITH AMINA ALI FOR THE DEFENDANT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE SOLOMON OPPONG-TWUMASI<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="text-align:center;line-height:200%;
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>1.0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
INTRODUCTION:<o:p></o:p>By her Amended Writ of Summons, the Plaintiff
seeks declaration of title to the land described in paragraph 1 in the
indorsement on the writ of summons, damages for trespass and an order for
perpetual injunction.<o:p></o:p>1.1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Plaintiff’s
Amended Writ of Summons was accompanied by Amended Statement of Claim which was
made up of 15 paragraphs explaining in details the basis of the Plaintiff’s
claim.<o:p></o:p>1.2&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Upon the Service
of the writ on him, the Defendant caused an appearance to be entered for him by
his lawyers and followed it up with a Statement of Defence which also contained
a counterclaim which was made up of 19 paragraphs.<o:p></o:p>1.3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Although the
Plaintiff amended her writ the Defendant however did not amend his Statement of
Defence or the Counterclaim.<o:p></o:p>1.4&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Per his Statement
of Defence and Counterclaim, the Defendant generally denied every allegation of
fact contained in the Plaintiff’s Statement of Claim and/or the Amended
Statement of Claim.<o:p></o:p>1.5&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
It is important
to state that although the Plaintiff amended her Statement of Claim, the
Defendant did not amend his Statement of Defence and counterclaim which he
filed before the Plaintiff amended her Statement of Claim. However, this
failure to amend the Statement of Claim and counterclaim by the Defendant per
se is not fatal to the Defendant’s case because the principle of law is that he
is deemed to have relied on his earlier Statement of Defence and Counterclaim
which he had earlier filed prior to the Amended Statement of Claim. See GHANA PORTS &amp; HARBOURS AUTHORITY &amp;
CAPTAIN ZEIM V. NOVA COMPLEX (2007-2008) 2 SCGLR 806 @ 809, Wood, JSC (as
she then was)<o:p></o:p>1.6&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Since the
Defendant had generally denied the averments contained in the Plaintiff’s
Statement of Claim, issues were joined between the parties &nbsp;and at the Application for Directions stage,
the following were the I</main>