Wilson v Samura & Koroma
Whether tenants had acquired an interest in land based on the doctrine of proprietary estoppel. Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, 3 June 1975
The issue in this case was whether tenants who had lived and constructed buildings on land owned by their employer, Mr Lucien Genet, had acquired an interest in the land which was binding on the subsequent owner of the land, the appellant. Cole CJ emphasizes that it is in only the rarest of cases that the Court of Appeal should overturn a trial judge’s findings of fact, and reviews the circumstances in which the doctrine of proprietary estoppel can be established, including whether or not the purchaser had actual or implied notice of a prior interest.
Historical note: the appellant and Mr Genet were involved in earlier but legally unrelated proceedings; a case related to the murder of Mr Genet’s daughter - Genet & Wilson v R [1964-66] ALR (SL) 36, and divorce proceedings involving Mr & Mrs Wilson and Mr Genet see Wilson (R.A.) v Wilson (E.) [1964-66] ALR (SL) 193 SC; Wilson (E.) v Wilson (R.A.) and Genet [1964-66] ALR (SL) 241 CA.
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