Section 420 — General principle of tort liability
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดจงใจหรือประมาทเลินเล่อ ทำต่อบุคคลอื่นโดยผิดกฎหมายให้เขาเสียหายถึงแก่ชีวิตก็ดี แก่ร่างกายก็ดี อนามัยก็ดี เสรีภาพก็ดี ทรัพย์สินหรือสิทธิอย่างหนึ่งอย่างใดก็ดี ท่านว่าผู้นั้นทำละเมิด จำต้องใช้ค่าสินไหมทดแทนเพื่อการนั้น
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
A person who, wilfully or negligently, unlawfully injures the life, body, health, liberty, property or any right of another person, is said to commit a wrongful act and is bound to make compensation therefor.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 420 sets out the four elements every tort claim must satisfy: (1) an act, (2) wilfully or negligently committed, (3) unlawful, (4) causing damage to a protected interest. Damage includes physical injury, economic loss, and infringement of intangible rights. Burden of proof rests on the plaintiff, but Thai courts have developed presumptions of negligence in specific contexts (traffic, medical malpractice, product liability).
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
- 15067/2557 (2014) ★ Medical Misdiagnosis — Joint Liability of Doctors
- 2794/2565 (2022) Employer Liability for Employee Tort
- 6010/2564 (2021) Civil Evidence Independent of Criminal Proceedings
- 6234/2564 (2021) School Officials — Joint Tort Liability for Unlawful Expulsion
- 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.