MORGAN KWAME OPOKU vs. AKOSUA OSAA [2023]DLSC15001

Date	2023-01-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/09/2022
Citation No.	[2023]DLSC15001

PROF. KOTEY JSC (PRESIDING)

OWUSU (MS.) JSC

AMADU JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC

KULENDI JSC

NANA OBRI BOAHEN ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

ANTHONY K. DABY ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.

[2023]DLSC15001
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >&nbsp;MORGAN
KWAME OPOKU <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>AKOSUA OSAA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT) <o:p></o:p>[SUPREME 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;">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/09/2022&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:
18TH&nbsp;JANUARY 2023&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>NANA OBRI BOAHEN ESQ.
FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/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:normal;tab-stops:82.3pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">ANTHONY K. DABY ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>PROF.
KOTEY JSC (PRESIDING), OWUSU (MS.) JSC, AMADU JSC, PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.)
JSC, KULENDI JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; 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 black 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;OWUSU (MS.) JSC:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On
21st March, 2019, the Court of Appeal, Accra, in a unanimous
decision dismissed the Plaintiff/Appellant/Appellant (hereinafter referred to
as Plaintiff’s) appeal against the Defendant/Respondent/Respondent (hereinafter
referred to as Defendant) and affirmed the Judgment of the Trial Court as
follows:<o:p></o:p>“Upon the facts and analysis of the evidence, the
only reasonable conclusion is that the appellant’s grantor sat by, saw the
respondent enter the land in 1984 and acquiesced in her spending money and
labour to develop it without challenge. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp; The
appellant’s right of action first accrued to his grantor through whom he
derives his title. Thus, his explanation that he had been away and did not know
of the encroachment, and that he has registered his document cannot avail him.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I
will hold on the authority of VANDERPUYE vs. GOLIGHTLY &amp; ORS. [1965] GLR
453 SC that the appellant’s grantor Dauda and thus the appellant was estopped
through the grantor’s acquiescence from asserting his rights because after the
respondent had acquired the land in good faith in 1984, Dauda stood by for over
15 years while the respondent incurred expenditure in developing the land. They
are deemed to have waived their right….<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is
for the above reasons that the appeal of the plaintiff/appellant fails in its
entirety and is dismissed.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
Judgment of the trial Court is affirmed in favour of the defendant/respondent,
but on grounds of laches and acquiescence on the part of the
plaintiff/appellant’s grantor from whom the plaintiff/appellant derived his
title”.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, the plaintiff
mounted this appeal before the Supreme Court on the following grounds;<o:p></o:p>a.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Both
the Court of Appeal and the High Court were wrong in law when they dismissed
the Plaintiff/Appellant/Appellant’s case.<o:p></o:p>b.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal;</main>