ALBERT BADU OKUADJO & ANOR vs. GABRIEL KOKOU DAOSSRA & ORS [2023]DLCA15124

Date	2023-03-23
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/77/2020
Citation No.	[2023]DLCA15124

MARGARET WELBOURNE J.A. (PRESIDING) BRIGHT MENSAH J.A.

JANAPARE A. BARTELS-KODWO J.A.

Edward Dankwa Plaintiffs /Appellants

Perry E. Amemornu for Defendants/Respondents

[2023]DLCA15124
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ALBERT BADU OKUADJO &amp; ANOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GABRIEL KOKOU DAOSSRA &amp; ORS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/77/2020 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:#2000">&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: 23rd MARCH, 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div><a name="_Hlk514926719">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></a>Edward
Dankwa Plaintiffs /Appellants<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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Perry E. Amemornu for
Defendants/Respondents<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM <o:p></o:p>MARGARET
WELBOURNE J.A. (PRESIDING) BRIGHT MENSAH&nbsp;&nbsp; J.A., JANAPARE A. BARTELS-KODWO J.A.<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 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;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:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:#2000">&nbsp;BARTELS-KODWO
J.A<o:p></o:p>Following
an application by the 4th – 7th Defendants/Applicants
praying the trial court for an Order to dismiss the instant action and or to
strike out the Amended Writ of Summons dated 15th August, 2016
purporting to annex a Statement of Claim dated 29th May, 2015, the
trial High Court granted same and set aside the Writ citing same to be
defective because though the amended Writ had the names of all (7) seven
Defendants, the attached Statement of Claim had only the names of (3) three of
the defendants and was dated 29th May, 2015 as against the Amended
Writ which was dated 15th August, 2016.<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied
with that Ruling of the Court dated 28th February, 2019 the
Plaintiffs/Appellants filed an amended Notice of Appeal dated 30th
April, 2021, pursuant to a court order of 27th April, 2021 seeking
to set aside the ruling and to have the suit restored to the record for trial.<o:p></o:p>Their
single ground of Appeal is that the Ruling is unwarranted by Order 4 of the
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004 CI 47 and the related provisions which
deal with joinder of parties under the High Court Rules.<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiffs will be known as the Appellants in this ruling and the Defendants as
the Respondents.<o:p></o:p>Brief Facts:<o:p></o:p>From
the Record it is clear that upon a grant of an application for joinder to the
Suit by the 4th -7th Respondents same was granted and the
Appellant directed to amend the suit to include the newly joined parties i.e.
the 5th , 6th, and 7th Respondents. This was
done and a photocopy of the Statement of Claim was attached to the Writ and
this was served on the Respondents. See ROA 39-41 &amp; ROA 49-54.This was
followed by the Defendants/Respondents entering appearance and filing their Defence
to which the Appellants also filed their Reply. <o:p></o:p>Following
this, the application resulting in the Ruling in contention here was granted
with the reasons earlier mentioned in this present Ruling stating why the Suit
ought to be set aside since what actually occurred was that the Writ was
amended but the accompanying Statement of Claim was not amended to reflect the
parties in the Suit. <o:p></o:p>Appellant’s arguments:<o:p></o:p>