Section 222/27 — Rights of the substitute plaintiff
Statutory text (Thai original)
ห้ามมิให้สมาชิกกลุ่มที่เข้าแทนที่โจทก์ตามมาตรา ๒๒๒/๒๕ ใช้สิทธิอย่างอื่นนอกจากสิทธิที่มีอยู่แก่โจทก์ในชั้นพิจารณาเมื่อตนร้องขอเข้าแทนที่โจทก์ และห้ามมิให้ใช้สิทธิเช่นว่านั้นในทางที่ขัดกับสิทธิของโจทก์เดิม เว้นแต่เป็นที่พอใจแก่ศาลตามคำร้องของสมาชิกกลุ่มที่เข้าแทนที่โจทก์ว่าการดำเนินกระบวนพิจารณาของโจทก์ที่ได้ทำไปแล้วซึ่งก่อให้เกิดความเสียหายแก่สมาชิกกลุ่มนั้นเกิดจากความจงใจหรือประมาทเลินเล่ออย่างร้ายแรงของโจทก์ ในกรณีเช่นว่านี้ เพื่อประโยชน์แห่งความยุติธรรม ศาลอาจมีคำสั่งอย่างใด ๆ ตามที่เห็นสมควรก็ได้
English translation
A group member who substitutes as plaintiff under section 222/25 is prohibited from exercising any right other than the right available to the plaintiff at the trial stage at the time he requested to substitute as plaintiff, and is prohibited from exercising such right in a manner contrary to the rights of the original plaintiff, unless the court is satisfied, upon the request of the group member who substitutes as plaintiff, that the proceedings conducted by the plaintiff which caused damage to the group members arose from the willful act or gross negligence of the plaintiff. In such case, for the interest of justice, the court may make any order as it deems appropriate.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This section defines the legal position of the substitute plaintiff and prevents the takeover from being used to unwind or re-litigate steps already validly taken. The default rule is continuity: the newcomer stands in the shoes of the plaintiff as of the moment of the substitution request, no more and no less. The carve-out addresses the risk that the departed plaintiff mishandled the case, and it draws on the civil-law concepts of willful act and gross negligence to let the court reopen or correct prior steps in the group's interest. Read together with sections 222/25 and 222/26, it balances procedural finality against protection of absent class members.
Why this matters in practice
If you take over a class action, do not assume you can restart the case or reverse concessions the previous plaintiff made; you inherit the case in its current state. The one lever is to show the court that the previous plaintiff acted willfully or with gross negligence and damaged the group, which can justify corrective orders. Documenting exactly how earlier conduct harmed members is decisive, so preserve the record and seek advice before applying. This is a fact-heavy argument where experienced litigation support is valuable.
Frequently asked questions
Can a new class plaintiff restart the case from scratch?
No. Under section 222/27 the substitute plaintiff only has the rights the original plaintiff had at the time of the substitution request and cannot act against the original plaintiff's rights.
Is there any way to undo harmful steps taken by the previous plaintiff?
Yes, but only if the court is satisfied that the previous plaintiff's conduct damaged the group through willful act or gross negligence, in which case the court may make any order it deems fair.