Article 1523: Compensation on divorce for adultery
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อศาลพิพากษาให้หย่ากันเพราะเหตุตามมาตรา ๑๕๑๖ (๑) คู่สมรสฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งมีสิทธิได้รับค่าทดแทนจากคู่สมรสอีกฝ่ายหนึ่ง และจากผู้ซึ่งได้รับการอุปการะเลี้ยงดูหรือยกย่อง หรือผู้ซึ่งเป็นเหตุแห่งการหย่านั้น
คู่สมรสฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งจะเรียกค่าทดแทนจากผู้ซึ่งล่วงเกินคู่สมรสอีกฝ่ายหนึ่งไปในทำนองชู้สาว หรือจากผู้ซึ่งแสดงตนโดยเปิดเผยเพื่อแสดงว่าตนมีความสัมพันธ์กับคู่สมรสอีกฝ่ายหนึ่งในทำนองชู้สาวก็ได้
ถ้าคู่สมรสฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งยินยอมหรือรู้เห็นเป็นใจให้อีกฝ่ายหนึ่งกระทำการตามมาตรา ๑๕๑๖ (๑) หรือให้ผู้อื่นกระทำการตามวรรคสอง คู่สมรสฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งนั้นจะเรียกค่าทดแทนไม่ได้
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
When the court gives judgment for divorce on the ground under Section 1516 (1), a spouse is entitled to compensation from the other spouse and from the person who was maintained or honoured, or who was the cause of the divorce.
A spouse may also claim compensation from a person who has taken liberties with the other spouse in an adulterous manner, or from a person who has openly held out that they have a relationship with the other spouse in an adulterous manner.
If a spouse has consented to or connived at the other spouse doing an act under Section 1516 (1), or at another person doing an act under paragraph two, that spouse cannot claim compensation.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 1523 is one of Thailand's most-litigated compensation provisions, particularly in cross-cultural marriages. "Compensation" covers both emotional harm and economic loss attributable to the affair. Practical points: (1) keep the two paragraphs apart. Compensation from the other spouse under paragraph one arises when the court grants a divorce on the s.1516(1) ground, so it belongs in the divorce case; but compensation from the person who took liberties with the other spouse in an adulterous manner, or who openly held themselves out as being in such a relationship, under paragraph two, can be claimed without suing for divorce at all; (2) the claim is extinguished one year after the claimant knew or should have known the facts, under s.1529, so the clock matters; (3) damages have steadily increased, recent awards run from 200,000 to 1,000,000+ baht; (4) the paramour must be joined as defendant for liability to attach to them; (5) paragraph three bars the claim entirely where the spouse consented to or connived at the conduct.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: keep the two paragraphs apart. Compensation from the other spouse under paragraph one arises only where the court grants a divorce on the section 1516(1) ground, so it belongs in the divorce action. Compensation under paragraph two can be claimed without any divorce at all, and it has two limbs: taking liberties with the other spouse in an adulterous manner, which carries no publicity requirement, and openly holding oneself out as being in such a relationship, which does. A discreet affair is therefore not automatically outside the section. Watch the one-year limit in section 1529, and note that paragraph three bars the claim entirely where the spouse consented to or connived at the conduct. For clients: you may be entitled to compensation from your spouse and from the other person, and the claim against the other person does not require you to divorce.
Legislative history
Section 1523 was amended by the Marriage Equality Act (No. 24, B.E. 2567), in force 22 Jan 2025, to remove gendered language and apply symmetrically to any spouse whose partner has been unfaithful, regardless of gender.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 4261/2560 (2017)
Openly assuming the role of a partner constitutes the 'manifest conjugal relationship' required for third-party compensation under §1523.
A spouse has the right to claim compensation from a third party who openly and publicly presents themselves as being in a conjugal relationship with that spouse's partner; the conduct need not amount to full adultery: openly assuming the role of a partner suffices.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 320/2530 (1987) ★ Monument
Taking liberties in an adulterous manner under section 1523 paragraph two includes adultery itself. The right to claim compensation from the third party is not conditional on the husband first suing his wife for divorce; the compensation is a form of damages for which the paramour is liable, and the court may fix it according to the injured party's station, including injury to his reputation and good name.
The plaintiff claimed compensation from the defendant, alleging that he had been the paramour of N., the plaintiff's late wife. The Court held that taking liberties in an adulterous manner under section 1523 paragraph two includes adultery itself, and that the right to claim compensation is not conditional on the husband first suing his wife for divorce. The compensation is damages for which the paramour is liable, and the court may fix the amount according to the station of the injured party, including injury to his reputation and good name. Where the defendant pleaded that the plaintiff had consented to or connived at the adultery, the burden of proving that lay on the defendant.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 47 Supreme Court decisions (1979 to 2026)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 139/2569 (2026)
- Décision 748/2568 (2025) La maîtresse n'est responsable des dommages qu'en prouvant qu'elle savait que l'homme était marié : niveau de preuve rehaussé
- Décision 5856/2567 (2024) Une femme qui poursuit la maîtresse de son mari en dommages et intérêts doit plaider l'adultère public.
- Decision 5579/2567 (2024)
- Décision 4977/2565 (2022)
- Decision 4969/2565 (2022)
- Decision 964/2562 (2019)
- Decision 2588/2561 (2018)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 1516 20
- Article 1529 10
- Section 7 4
- Article 1526 4
- Art. 142 du Code pénal thaïlandais 3
- Article 1531 3
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Civil and Commercial Code, s. 1523 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Civil and Commercial Code (Thailand), s. 1523. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1523/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.พ.พ. มาตรา 1523 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1523/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1523/"><p>When the court gives judgment for divorce on the ground under Section 1516 (1), a spouse is entitled to compensation from the other spouse and from the person who was maintained or honoured, or who was the cause of the divorce. A spouse may also…</p><footer>Civil and Commercial Code, s. 1523 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1523/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.