Section 1523 — Compensation in divorce for adultery
Statutory text (Thai original)
วรรคหนึ่ง แห่งประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ เป็นบทบัญญัติที่เลือกปฏิบัติโดยไม่เป็นธรรมต่อบุคคลเพราะเหตุแห่งความแตกต่างในเรื่องเพศ สมควรแก้ไขบทบัญญัติดังกล่าวให้สอดคล้องกับหลักการมีสิทธิเท่าเทียมกันระหว่างชายและหญิง และหลักการห้ามมิให้เลือกปฏิบัติโดยไม่เป็นธรรมต่อบุคคลเพราะเหตุแห่งความแตกต่างในเรื่องเพศที่เคยได้รับความคุ้มครองตามประเพณีการปกครองประเทศไทย ในระบอบประชาธิปไตยอันมีพระมหากษัตริย์ทรงเป็นประมุข จึงจำเป็นต้องตราพระราชบัญญัตินี้พระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ (ฉบับที่ ๑๗) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๐[316]
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
In case of divorce by judgment of the Court on the ground as provided in Section 1516 (1), the husband or wife is entitled to compensation from the husband or wife and other woman or adulterer, as the case may be. The husband is entitled to claim compensation from any person who has wrongfully taken liberties with his wife in an adulterous manner, and the wife is entitled to claim compensation from other woman who has openly shown her adulterous relations with the former's husband. However, the husband or wife is not entitled to claim feedback (/form/1-samuiforsale-contact-form.html?tmpl=component) / compensation if he or she has consented to or connived at the act done by other party under Section 1516 (1) or allowed other person to act as provided in paragraph two.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 1523 is one of Thailand's most-litigated divorce provisions, particularly in cross-cultural marriages. The wronged spouse can sue both the unfaithful spouse and the paramour. "Compensation" includes both emotional harm and economic loss attributable to the affair. Practical points: (1) the action must be filed together with the divorce — cannot be sued separately afterwards; (2) damages have steadily increased — recent awards run from 200,000 to 1,000,000+ baht; (3) the paramour must be joined as defendant for liability to attach to them. SC decision 1303/2568 confirmed paramour liability survives the underlying spouse's bankruptcy.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: to sue a third party under §1523, the conduct must have been open and public — discreet affairs may not meet the threshold. Compensation is separate from the divorce and must be claimed in the same or a related action. For clients: if your spouse has been openly conducting an affair, you may be entitled to financial compensation from both your spouse and the other person involved.
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.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 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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Supreme Court Judgment No. 320/2530 (1987) ★ Landmark
Conjugal conduct under §1523 includes adultery; the compensation right exists once divorce is granted, regardless of which spouse filed.
The Supreme Court held that 'conjugal conduct' under §1523(2) includes actual adultery; the right to claim compensation from the third party exists regardless of which spouse initiated the divorce, as long as the divorce was granted.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.