Article 166 — Costs caused by fault or delay
Texte légal (original thaï)
คู่ความฝ่ายใดทำให้ต้องเสียค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมในกระบวนพิจารณาใด ๆ ที่ได้ดำเนินไปโดยไม่จำเป็น หรือมีลักษณะประวิงคดี หรือที่ต้องดำเนินไปเพราะความผิดหรือความประมาทเลินเล่ออย่างร้ายแรง คู่ความฝ่ายนั้นต้องรับผิดในค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมนั้น โดยมิพักคำนึงว่าคู่ความฝ่ายนั้นจักได้ชนะคดีหรือไม่
traduction anglaise
A party who causes court costs to be incurred in any proceeding that has been carried on unnecessarily, or that has the character of delaying the case, or that had to be carried on because of that party's fault or gross negligence, shall be liable for those court costs, regardless of whether that party wins the case.
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 166 is an exception to the usual rule that the losing party bears costs. It targets the party who actually generated a particular cost, whether by an unnecessary step, by delay, or by fault or gross negligence, and makes that party pay regardless of the final outcome. In practice courts apply it together with Section 161 to shift a discrete item, such as an execution officer's fee for property seized but not sold, onto the party responsible for it. The provision lets the court reach a fair result on individual costs without disturbing the overall winner and loser allocation.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
This section is a caution against litigation gamesmanship: filing needless motions, stalling, or making careless mistakes can leave you paying those specific court costs even in a case you win. It also gives the other side a lever to recover costs wasted by an opponent's delay or serious error. If you are managing a hard-fought case, keep a clear record of steps forced on you by the other party, since Section 166 can shift the cost of those steps back to them.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4660/2549 (2006)
Under Section 161 paragraph one together with Section 166, a party who conducts a proceeding by its own fault, causing court costs, must bear those costs regardless of whether it wins; so where a plaintiff's seizure was unlawful and had to be withdrawn, the plaintiff alone bears the withdrawal fee.
The court found the plaintiff had seized the second defendant's property unlawfully, so the seizure had to be withdrawn. Applying Section 161 paragraph one with Section 166, it held that a party who causes costs through its own fault must pay them regardless of the outcome, and that the trial court had wrongly placed the withdrawal fee on the defendant instead of the plaintiff.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4445/2539 (1996)
Where a seizure with no sale was not caused by the plaintiff's fault or gross negligence but resulted from the defendant delaying the execution, the defendant is the party at fault and must bear the officer's fee for the seizure with no sale under Section 161 paragraph one together with Section 166.
After a judgment ordering the parties to divide land, the plaintiff had to seize the defendant's land because the defendant was delaying the enforcement. The court held the seizure with no sale was not the plaintiff's fault or gross negligence but flowed from the defendant's delay, so under Section 161 paragraph one with Section 166 the defendant must bear the officer's fee.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 6395/2543 (2000)
Section 166 shifts a cost only where the proceeding was carried on unnecessarily; where the plaintiff's seizure and the defendant's later deposits were not unnecessary conduct, the plaintiff cannot be made to bear the officer's fee for the seizure with no sale under Section 166.
The court held that neither the plaintiff's seizure of the land and buildings nor the defendant's two later deposits amounted to a proceeding carried on unnecessarily within Section 166. The appellate court had therefore been wrong to order the plaintiff to pay the officer's fee for the seizure with no sale, and the Supreme Court reversed.
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
Can a party who wins the case still be ordered to pay some court costs?
Yes. Under Section 166, a party who runs up costs through unnecessary steps, delay, or gross negligence must pay those costs regardless of winning the case.
What kinds of conduct trigger Section 166?
Proceedings carried on unnecessarily, tactics that delay the case, and steps forced by a party's fault or gross negligence all fall within Section 166.