Section 29 — Severance of claims for separate trial
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าคดีที่ฟ้องกันนั้นมีข้อหาหลายข้อด้วยกันและศาลเห็นว่าข้อหาข้อหนึ่งข้อใดเหล่านั้นมิได้เกี่ยวข้องกันกับข้ออื่น ๆ เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควร หรือเมื่อคู่ความผู้มีส่วนได้เสียได้ยื่นคำขอโดยทำเป็นคำร้องให้ศาลมีคำสั่งให้แยกคดีเสียโดยเร็ว ถ้าโจทก์ประสงค์จะให้พิจารณาข้อหาเช่นว่านั้นต่อไป ก็ให้ศาลดำเนินการพิจารณาคดีไปเสมือนหนึ่งว่าเป็นคดีอีกเรื่องหนึ่งต่างหาก โดยมีเงื่อนไขที่ศาลจะกำหนดไว้ตามที่เห็นสมควรถ้าคดีที่ฟ้องกันนั้นมีข้อหาหลายข้อ และศาลเห็นว่าหากแยกพิจารณาข้อหาทั้งหมดหรือข้อใดข้อหนึ่งออกจากกันแล้ว จะทำให้การพิจารณาข้อหาเหล่านั้นสะดวก ไม่ว่าเวลาใด ๆ ก่อนมีคำพิพากษา เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควร หรือเมื่อคู่ความผู้มีส่วนได้เสียยื่นคำขอโดยทำเป็นคำร้อง และเมื่อศาลได้ฟังคู่ความทุกฝ่ายแล้ว ให้ศาลมีอำนาจสั่งแยกข้อหาเหล่านั้นทั้งหมดหรือแต่ข้อใดข้อหนึ่งออกพิจารณาต่างหากเป็นเรื่องๆ ไป
English translation
If the case brought contains several claims and the court is of the opinion that any one of those claims is not connected with the others, then, when the court thinks fit or when an interested party files a request made in the form of a motion, the court shall order the severance of the case without delay. If the plaintiff wishes such claim to be tried further, the court shall proceed with the trial of the case as though it were a separate case, subject to such conditions as the court thinks fit to fix.
If the case brought contains several claims and the court is of the opinion that severing all or any one of the claims from one another would make the trial of those claims convenient, then, at any time before judgment, when the court thinks fit or when an interested party files a request made in the form of a motion, and after the court has heard all parties, the court has the power to order that all or any one of those claims be severed and tried separately, case by case.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 29 is the counterpart to consolidation under Section 28: it lets the court break a multi-claim action into separate proceedings. The first paragraph deals with unconnected claims, which the court must sever without delay, and lets the plaintiff continue with the severed claim as a separate case on set conditions. The second paragraph is a broader convenience power, allowing severance of related claims where a separate trial would be more convenient, exercisable at any time before judgment after all parties have been heard. In practice it also arises where an opposing party argues that separable claims were joined together for an improper purpose, such as reducing court fees.
Why this matters in practice
Severance can work for or against you. If claims are lumped together in a way that confuses the issues or prejudices you, ask the court to sever them so each is tried cleanly. Conversely, be aware that joining separable claims, particularly to keep court fees low, can invite a severance motion from the other side. Because a severed claim proceeds as its own case with its own conditions, plan for separate timelines and possibly separate fees. Check your court fee exposure before filing multiple claims together.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8730/2558 (2015)
Section 29 is the basis on which a party may seek severance where a plaintiff has joined separable claims of different kinds in one action, an argument often raised together with an allegation that the joinder was used to reduce court fees.
After the pre-trial conference, the defendants moved to amend their answer and add a counterclaim, contending that the three types of debt sued on were of different kinds and severable, that the plaintiff's combined filing on a single court fee was an improper attempt to avoid fees contrary to Section 29, and that the court should dispose of the case. The snippet records this as the party's contention invoking Section 29 as the basis for severance.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Can the court split a lawsuit with several claims?
Yes. Under Section 29 the court may sever a claim that is not connected with the others, and it may also separate related claims where a separate trial would be more convenient, either on its own or on an interested party's motion.
What happens to a severed claim?
If the plaintiff wishes to continue with it, the court tries the severed claim as though it were a separate case, subject to conditions the court fixes.