Article 162 — Costs among co-parties
Texte légal (original thaï)
บุคคลที่เป็นโจทก์ร่วมกันหรือจำเลยร่วมกันนั้น หาต้องรับผิดร่วมกันในค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมไม่ หากต้องรับผิดเป็นส่วนเท่า ๆ กัน เว้นแต่จะได้เป็นเจ้าหนี้ร่วมหรือลูกหนี้ร่วม หรือศาลได้มีคำสั่งเป็นอย่างอื่น
traduction anglaise
Persons who are co-plaintiffs or co-defendants are not required to be jointly liable for court fees and costs, but are liable in equal shares, unless they are joint creditors or joint debtors, or the court has ordered otherwise.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
Section 162 sets the default rule for allocating costs among parties on the same side. Co-plaintiffs or co-defendants are not jointly and severally liable for court fees and costs; instead each is liable for an equal share. Two exceptions displace this equal-share default: where the co-parties are joint creditors or joint debtors, and where the court orders otherwise. That court override links to the discretion in Section 161, so a court may, on suitable facts, make co-defendants jointly liable. Courts also read Section 162 with Section 167 when fixing costs and cap a co-defendant's cost liability by the value of that defendant's own portion of the claim, so a co-defendant is not made to share costs on a claim amount larger than the liability actually pleaded against it.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
If you are one of several plaintiffs or defendants, do not assume your co-parties will cover the whole cost bill: by default you each carry an equal share, and full joint liability arises only if you are joint debtors or creditors or the court so orders. For a defendant sued alongside others, watch the figures, your share of costs should track the claim amount actually pleaded against you, not a larger total, so raise it if a costs order over-exposes you.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 2120/2566 (2023)
Even where co-defendants are not joint debtors, the court has discretion under Sections 161 and 162 to order them jointly liable for costs, and the attorney fee is calculated on the total claim of the whole case.
With 118 plaintiffs suing in one case, the Supreme Court upheld the trial court's discretion to order the two defendants jointly liable for costs under Sections 161 and 162 and to fix the attorney fee at 150,000 baht on the total claim, disapproving the Court of Appeal's split of attorney fees per plaintiff.
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 3127/2565 (2022)
A co-defendant's joint liability for costs is limited to the value of that defendant's own portion of the claim; it cannot be based on the total claim amount that exceeds the joint debt actually pleaded against that defendant, under Section 161 paragraph one, Section 162 and Section 167 paragraph one.
Defendant 4's liability was limited to no more than 110,427 baht, its own portion of the claim, so it could only be jointly liable for costs on that amount. The Supreme Court held it wrong to make defendant 4 share the court fee on the whole claim of over 27 million baht, applying Section 161 paragraph one, Section 162 and Section 167 paragraph one.
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 2835/2552 (2009)
Where a co-defendant was ordered jointly liable for damages and costs but did not appeal, the court may still adjust the costs liability so that it extends to that co-defendant under Section 162, read with Sections 245(1) and 247.
Although defendant 3 had not appealed and the case against it was final at the trial court, the Supreme Court held it proper to adjust the costs liability so that its ruling on costs extended to defendant 3, under Section 162 together with Sections 245(1) and 247, ordering defendants 1 and 3 jointly to pay the trial-court fee to the extent the plaintiffs succeeded.
Décisions sélectionnées avec numéros de dossier vérifiés dans la base de données de la Cour suprême. Les versions anglaises sont des traductions éditoriales réalisées par le cabinet à des fins d'étude.
Foire aux questions
Are co-defendants jointly liable for court costs in Thailand?
Not by default. Section 162 makes co-plaintiffs or co-defendants liable for court fees and costs in equal shares, not jointly, unless they are joint creditors or joint debtors or the court orders otherwise.
When can co-parties be made jointly liable for costs?
Under Section 162 joint liability arises where the co-parties are joint creditors or joint debtors, or where the court, exercising its discretion under Section 161, orders otherwise.
Can my share of costs exceed the claim actually made against me?
It should not. Courts applying Section 162 with Section 167 limit a co-defendant's cost liability to the value of that defendant's own portion of the claim, not a larger combined total.