
A Danish man got a divorce lawyer to sued his Thai wife twice & won the second lawsuit settlement in Thailand.
The Danish man visited Thailand for the first time after his wife had passed away. He came to Thailand in December 2018, meet a Thai lady and planned to start their life together.
How He Lost Almost $170,000 USD
He transferred money worth over 5 million baht or about $170,000 USD to buy a car and build a home. Both assets were put under this then Thai girlfriend’s name.
The lawsuits were filed by the Danish man in Thailand in the summer of this year, 2020.
Is this some new trend or hobby for western men to hook up with or marrying to these types of Thai families?
Imagine yourself doing the same things in your home country. Is that going to get you into a lot of trouble? Do you think you can get all or half of that money back even in your own country?
And then imagine what happened to this man in Thailand.
Let’s check out this story of how the Danish man got some of his assets back and does Thai law give foreigners zero right.
How the Danish Man Meet his Ex Thai Partner
The Danish man was on holiday, came with his friend and the friend’s Thai wife to Hua Hin in December 2018.
Just like many western men, he was looking for love and ended up more than he bargained for.
While holidaying in Hua Hin, the Danish man struck up a friendship with a Thai woman working in a beer bar.
If you don’t know what’s a beer bar, that’s where people go to drink beer, hench the name.
But in Thailand, its’ not your regular beer bar for drinking beer, you can also get a female friend working in the bar to join you, and you would buy her a drink in exchange for their time.
That’s where and how they meet.
How Everything Started
He took her out of the beer bar and paid the bar to take her out. The two went to another Thai province for a holiday.
The Danish man eventually went back to Denmark but came back to Thailand about 1 and a half month later, and this time the same Thai lady took him to see her mother in Buriram, in a different province east of Thailand.
He stayed in Thailand for another 3 months.
He paid the Thai woman 25,000 baht per month to stop working in the beer bar because if she stays to work. She would end up meeting other men (she was a prostitute).
How The Relationship Ended
Their relationship Ended in Feb 2020, just a little over 1 year after they meet.
During that time, the Danish man transferred 3 million baht to the Thai lady to build a house on her mother’s land and another 1.7 million baht for a car.
The home was completed in Feb 2020.
There was a housewarming party that lasted 24 hours, with 200-300 people (that’s huge for a “housewarming party”).
The Danish man questioned the flashy event but went along with it. Days after that, the relationship went south. As the Danish man saw the building materials from his new home being used on the Thai woman’s mother property.
An argument about what was happening between the Dane and his ex Thai partner.
The Thai woman told him to leave as she reminded him everything was under her name and belong to her, as well as the car.
Two Lawsuits
The first court case, which the lawyer of the Danish man’s friend and his Thai wife raised for him, was to claim the car as his. When the lawyer of the woman denied him that, the Danish man’s lawyer withdrew the case and started a second case claiming full separation of the home, asking for 50% of the 5.7 million baht the Dane had transferred over time, plus interest since the breakup.
The Provincial Court in Buriram brokered a deal back in June of 2020.
His ex-Thai partner denied him any return of the money and assets.
The Thai woman claim that the car and the house was were gifts of affection. Since they were not married, the Danish man had no right to those assets.
However, the judge did not saw it the same as the Thai woman.
How the Dane Won
The court stated that the couple had entered a common law marriage and lived together as husband and wife – although not for very long.
The Danish man transferred money to her bank account for the payment of the materials needed for the house and the car.
To divide the assets, the house needs to be tear down and sell the materials and to sell the car to spite the money.
As the Danish man is entitled 50% of the share of the asset base on the common-law relationship, roughly about 900,000 baht.
The Thai Judge Proposed a Solution
The Thai woman to keep the house built on her mother’s land and for the Danish man to keep the car.
Otherwise, the judge explained that the court might have to order the breaking down of the home or its removal from the land to sell the materials for money.
As well as selling the car and split the money 50%.
The judge made it clear that such a proposal would be in the interests of the Thai woman to accept.
The Thai Woman was in Tears
She wanted the Danish man to come back to stay with her. Eventually, the Thai woman accepted the deal.
What This Case Highlight
It highlights the courts ruling – which was negotiated into a deal before it became a ruling – as the widespread belief that foreigners in Thailand have no rights.
Also, the widespread belief if the marriage has not been registered, then the Thai woman can walk away as the owner of all of the couple’s assets registered in her name in case the relationship should break up.
The judge here, in this case, appeared to accept that common law marriage was equal to a registered marriage.
One crucial point is that the case was decided on a voluntary agreement suggested by the judge, and it was not decided by the court.
No judgement was given
Because if a judgement was given, the Thai woman could appeal and go to Supreme Court that can issue a judgement.
What Do You Think About This Case
I want to know what you think about this.
Do you think it was 100% fault by the Danish man for being too trusty to someone he meets only for about 1 year?
Or is it 100% the Thai woman fault for thinking it belongs to her as they were in her name even thou she didn’t pay for them?
Or is it both? And who do you think won the case?
Also, is this a trend for western men to be hooking up with women working in beer bars?
Leave your thought in the comment below.