Court Orders Man To Pay ¢200K for Breaching Promise To Marry Estranged Lover
- The Accra High Court has ordered a businessman to pay Gh¢ 200,000 in compensation to his estranged lover for breaching his promise to marry her
- The court ruled that the man's 11-year relationship with his estranged lover reduced her chances of finding another partner because both parties had grown above 60 years
- The court further ruled that a ring the man gave to his lover was not just a present, but rather a symbol intended to ward off suitors
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The Accra Circuit Court has, in a dramatic turn of events, ordered a 60-year-old businessman to pay an amount of Gh¢200,000 in compensation to his former lover, over what the court described as a breach of promise to marry.
Presiding over the case, Justice Sediname Kwadam noted that the matter originated from a romantic relationship that lasted 11 years from 2013 to 2024.
Source: Getty Images
According to a report on 3news, the case initially began as an ejectment suit against his alleged lover. However, it concluded with the court finding a breach of promise to marry and imposing a constructive trust over a property located at East Legon.
The businessman is reported to have taken his alleged former lover to court, seeking an order to eject her from a two-bedroom apartment within a six-unit property owned by his company.
In her defence, the woman described as his estranged partner told the court that the property at the centre of the dispute had not been completed when their relationship began.
She stated that she oversaw and managed the construction of the six-unit development until its completion.
She further told the court that the plaintiff was not resident in Ghana during the period and only remitted funds towards the project.
According to her, the project was completed in 2017, after which the plaintiff directed her to move into one of the two-bedroom units.
Enstranged lover countersues businessman
In her defence, she filed a countersuit, claiming that the businessman had promised to marry her.
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She told the court that the alleged promise was the main reason she left her home at Dansoman to settle with him at East Legon.
As part of her evidence to the court, the defendant stated that the businessman was identified as an in-law during her father’s funeral.
She further explained that he made significant financial contributions and submitted a tribute, indicating that he acknowledged and fulfilled the role of an in-law.
She again told the court that the plaintiff presented her with a ring and appointed her as foreman to oversee the construction project, which spanned close to four years.
Among the reliefs she sought $40,000 for breach of promise to marry, the right to remain in the two-bedroom unit and the retention of a Toyota RAV4.
Read more here:
Judge pronounces final judgment in eviction case
In delivering judgment, High Court Judge Justice Kwadam found that the evidence established a promise to marry.
The court ruled that the ring given to the defendant was not a casual gift, but intended to deter other suitors.
The judgment noted that, as both parties were over 60, the defendant’s prospects of finding another partner had been reduced by the 11-year relationship with the plaintiff.
Applying principles of equity, the court held that although the defendant had legal title to the property, she would hold it under a constructive trust.
Consequently, the court recognised the defendant’s beneficial interest in the two-bedroom unit and dismissed the ejectment suit.
Ivy Heward-Mills sues Kennedy Agyapong
YEN.com.gh also previously reported that the widow of the slain Abuakua South MP J.B. Danquah-Adu, Ivy Heward-Mills, sued Kennedy Agyapong and eight others for defamation.
He allegedly attempted to discredit journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas by claiming he was romantically involved with the widow of the slain MP.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
