Section 136 — Effect of a deposit on liability and interest
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในกรณีที่จำเลยวางเงินต่อศาลโดยยอมรับผิด ถ้าโจทก์พอใจยอมรับเงินที่จำเลยวางโดยไม่ติดใจเรียกร้องมากกว่านั้น และคดีไม่มีประเด็นที่จะต้องวินิจฉัยต่อไปอีก ให้ศาลพิพากษาคดีไปตามนั้น คำพิพากษานั้นเป็นที่สุด แต่ถ้าโจทก์ไม่พอใจในจำนวนเงินที่จำเลยวาง และยังติดใจที่จะดำเนินคดีเพื่อให้จำเลยต้องรับผิดในจำนวนเงินตามที่เรียกร้องต่อไปอีก จำเลยมีสิทธิถอนเงินที่วางไว้นั้นได้ โดยให้ถือเสมือนว่ามิได้มีการวางเงิน หรือจำเลยจะยอมให้โจทก์รับเงินนั้นไปก็ได้ ในกรณีหลังนี้ โจทก์จะรับเงินไปหรือไม่ก็ตาม จำเลยไม่ต้องเสียดอกเบี้ยในจำนวนเงินที่วาง แม้ว่าจำเลยมีความรับผิดตามกฎหมายจะต้องเสีย ทั้งนี้ นับแต่วันที่จำเลยยอมให้โจทก์รับเงินไปในกรณีที่จำเลยวางเงินต่อศาลโดยไม่ยอมรับผิด จำเลยจะรับเงินนั้นคืนไปก่อนที่มีคำพิพากษาว่าจำเลยไม่ต้องรับผิดไม่ได้ การวางเงินเช่นว่านี้ ไม่เป็นเหตุระงับการเสียดอกเบี้ย หากจำเลยมีความรับผิดตามกฎหมายจะต้องเสีย
English translation
Where the defendant deposits money with the court admitting liability, if the plaintiff is satisfied and accepts the money deposited by the defendant without insisting on claiming more, and there is no further issue for the court to decide, the court shall give judgment accordingly, and that judgment is final. But if the plaintiff is not satisfied with the amount deposited by the defendant and still insists on continuing the case to hold the defendant liable for the amount claimed, the defendant has the right to withdraw the money deposited, in which case it shall be treated as if no money had been deposited, or the defendant may allow the plaintiff to take the money. In the latter case, whether or not the plaintiff takes the money, the defendant owes no interest on the amount deposited even if the defendant is under a legal liability to pay it, this being from the day the defendant allows the plaintiff to take the money. Where the defendant deposits money with the court without admitting liability, the defendant may not take the money back before there is a judgment that the defendant is not liable. Such a deposit does not stop interest from running if the defendant is under a legal liability to pay it.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 136 completes the deposit mechanism begun in Section 135 by fixing the legal effects of a deposit. A deposit made admitting liability that the plaintiff accepts ends the case with a final judgment. If the plaintiff rejects the amount, an admitting defendant may either withdraw the deposit, treated as never made, or leave it for the plaintiff, which stops interest from the day the defendant allows the plaintiff to take it. By contrast, a deposit made without admitting liability cannot be withdrawn before a judgment of no liability and, crucially, does not stop interest running. The distinction between depositing with and without an admission is therefore decisive for interest exposure.
Why this matters in practice
The single most important choice for a depositing defendant is whether to admit liability, because only an admitting deposit that the plaintiff is allowed to take stops interest from running. A deposit made without admitting liability protects nothing on interest and cannot be recovered until the defendant wins. If the plaintiff accepts an admitted deposit and nothing else is disputed, the judgment is final with no appeal, so the numbers must be right before you deposit. Consider taking advice before choosing, for example through an online consultation with a Thai lawyer.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3978/2533 (1990)
A deposit made with the court without admitting liability does not stop interest running under Section 136 paragraph two; the defendant's interest burden ends only when the plaintiff takes the deposited money from the court.
The defendant deposited 300,000 baht for the plaintiff to take in order to end the dispute. Because the statement showed the deposit was made without admitting liability, the court held it did not stop interest under Section 136 paragraph two, and the defendant's interest liability ended only when the plaintiff took the money.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3948/2533 (1990)
Where the defendant's deposit statement shows money paid in without admitting liability, the deposit does not stop interest under Section 136 paragraph two, and the interest burden ends only when the plaintiff withdraws the money from the court.
On facts materially the same as the companion case, the defendant deposited 300,000 baht for the plaintiff to take so as to end the dispute. The court held the deposit was made without admitting liability and so did not stop interest under Section 136 paragraph two; the defendant's interest burden ended when the plaintiff took the money from the court.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4145/2542 (1999)
A defendant already sued can be released from liability only by depositing with the court, under Sections 135 and 136, the amount the defendant considers due to the plaintiff.
The court held that once sued, the defendant could obtain release from liability only through a deposit with the court under Sections 135 and 136 in the amount the defendant considered owed to the plaintiff, and not by an ordinary tender of payment.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Does paying money into court stop interest from running?
Only if the deposit is made admitting liability and the defendant lets the plaintiff take it. Under Section 136, a deposit made without admitting liability does not stop interest.
Can a defendant get the deposited money back?
If the deposit admitted liability and the plaintiff rejects the amount, the defendant may withdraw it. If it was deposited without admitting liability, it cannot be withdrawn before a judgment that the defendant is not liable.
Is a judgment based on an accepted deposit final?
Yes. If the plaintiff accepts a deposit made admitting liability and there is nothing else to decide, Section 136 makes the resulting judgment final.