Section 438 — Form of compensation — restitutio in integrum
Statutory text (Thai original)
ค่าสินไหมทดแทนจะพึงใช้โดยสถานใดเพียงใดนั้น ให้ศาลวินิจฉัยตามควรแก่พฤติการณ์และความร้ายแรงแห่งละเมิดอนึ่ง ค่าสินไหมทดแทนนั้น ได้แก่การคืนทรัพย์สินอันผู้เสียหายต้องเสียไปเพราะละเมิด หรือใช้ราคาทรัพย์สินนั้น รวมทั้งค่าเสียหายอันจะพึงบังคับให้ใช้เพื่อความเสียหายอย่างใด ๆ อันได้ก่อขึ้นนั้นด้วย
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษ
The Court shall determine the manner and the extent of the compensation according to the circumstances and the gravity of the wrongful act. Compensation may include restitution of the property of which the injured person has been wrongfully deprived or its value as well as damages for any injury caused.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 438 articulates the restitutio in integrum principle — the goal of compensation is to make the plaintiff whole, no more and no less. The court has wide discretion on how to calculate (replacement cost, diminished market value, loss of use, repair cost). Recent SC decisions 6683/2537 (vehicle damage claim by borrower without standing) and 2359/2567 (director's duty of non-competition) explore the boundaries. For property loss, courts increasingly award not just repair cost but also "loss of use" damages (rental value of a damaged vehicle during repair).
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
- 464/2567 (2024) ★ Business Loss From Tortious Demolition Causing a Building-Stop Order is Foreseeable Damage Under Section 222
- 2359/2567 (2024) ★ A Director Cannot Set Up or Run a Competing Business Without Shareholder Consent
- 6683/2537 (1994) Borrower Lacks Standing to Claim Vehicle Damage
Showing decisions in our database that cite this section. The list updates automatically when new decisions are added.