Article 197 — Definition of default of answer
Texte légal (original thaï)
เมื่อจำเลยได้รับหมายเรียกให้ยื่นคำให้การแล้ว จำเลยมิได้ยื่นคำให้การภายในระยะเวลาที่กำหนดไว้ตามกฎหมายหรือตามคำสั่งศาล ให้ถือว่าจำเลยขาดนัดยื่นคำให้การ
traduction anglaise
When the defendant has received a summons to file an answer but has not filed an answer within the period prescribed by law or by order of the court, the defendant shall be deemed to be in default of answer.
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 197 opens Part 1 on default of answer by defining exactly when a defendant is in default: service of the summons plus failure to file an answer within the legal or court-ordered period. The definition is deliberately mechanical, it turns on the missed deadline, not on fault, and it is the precondition for the plaintiff's application under Section 198 and the merit-based default judgment under Section 198 bis. Note that these ordinary-case default rules do not apply to small claims, which have their own default regime under Sections 193 and 193 bis. The term applies to any party who must file an answer, so a plaintiff who fails to answer a counterclaim or an interpleader claim can also be in default under this Section.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
The deadline to answer is strict: once the summons is validly served, the clock runs, and missing it puts you in default, whether or not you meant to. If you have been served, do not wait; file an answer or get a lawyer at once, because default opens the door to judgment against you with only limited ways back. If you are unsure whether service was valid, that is a point to raise early, not after judgment.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 10840/2558 (2015)
Section 197 defines default of answer as the defendant's failure to file an answer within the prescribed period after being served with a summons, and it works together with Section 198 on the plaintiff's ensuing application; a special court may have its own default rule that operates differently.
The Supreme Court compared the default rule of the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, under which the court declares default at once, with Section 197 of the Civil Procedure Code, quoting the section's definition and its link to the plaintiff's fifteen-day application under Section 198.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5336/2551 (2008)
Section 197 applies to any party required to file an answer, so a party who is served but fails to file within the deadline is in default of answer, and the opposing party must then apply to the court within fifteen days to win by default, failing which the case is struck off.
In an interpleader dispute, the party required to answer was served but filed nothing by the deadline and was therefore in default of answer under Section 197. Because the claimant then failed to apply within fifteen days, the trial court struck the case off, a step the Supreme Court examined for legality.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 15018/2551 (2008)
Because small claims cases have their own default of answer rules under Sections 193 and 193 bis, the ordinary case default rules in Sections 197 and 198 cannot be applied to them, so a small claims plaintiff need not file the Section 198 application on the defendant's default.
The Supreme Court held that the specific small claims default rules displace Sections 197 and 198, so when a small claims defendant defaults the plaintiff is not required to make the ordinary application under Section 198 paragraph two for a default judgment.
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
When is a defendant in default of answer in Thailand?
Under Section 197, a defendant is in default of answer once he has been served with a summons to answer but fails to file an answer within the period fixed by law or by the court.
Does default of answer under Section 197 apply to small claims cases?
No. Small claims have their own default rules under Sections 193 and 193 bis, so the ordinary default of answer regime in Sections 197 and 198 does not apply to them.