On the morning of 21 May 2026 at the Phra Nakhon Tai District Court, actress and beauty queen Poo Mantana Himathongkham arrived with her lawyer to attend court in a case where she is the plaintiff suing Lawyer Kaew Dr. Monchai Chongkairattanakul. Today marked the hearing for both plaintiff and defendant witnesses. After the proceedings, Poo Mantana gave an interview to the media, stating that this civil case involves her suing Lawyer Kaew. She transferred 150,000 baht to hire him for legal services, but Lawyer Kaew appeared on the "Hon Krasae" TV program claiming she had hired him to insult the opposing party, which is untrue. The current lawsuit is civil because the lawyer did not perform the work for her and did not fully refund the money. This case concerns a check law matter, her first case with Luk Mee (Rasmee Thongsiripraisri).
Then Aon, Poo's junior colleague who works at a brokerage company, explained that she contacted Lawyer Kaew on Poo's behalf. On the day of the case, they postponed a meeting with the investigator because Poo was unwell, but Lawyer Kaew submitted a document stating that Poo had visited a relative in another province, which was false. The Thonglor Police Station investigator said that if the statement was untrue, they could be charged. So they asked Lawyer Kaew to sign the document.
Poo added that Lawyer Kaew refused to sign as her lawyer despite having received payment. The investigator rejected the document because Lawyer Kaew falsely wrote that Poo had visited a sick relative out of town, when in fact, Poo was hospitalized at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital with a medical certificate. Aon submitted the medical certificate to the investigator.
On that day, if Lawyer Kaew had submitted the document, the investigator would have considered it a false report. Lawyer Kung and Lawyer Decha could have requested a warrant for Poo's arrest. Poo was shocked and scared, hospitalized, and had Aon handle communications.
Poo recounted the first meeting with Lawyer Kaew, arranged near the expressway. They talked for only 20 minutes because Lawyer Kaew had to appear on the "Hon Krasae" show, so details were not discussed. Later, they communicated by phone about submitting documents to the investigator.
Aon added that Poo did not abandon Lawyer Kaew; he just refused to sign the documents. They considered finding a new lawyer and discussed payment issues, as some amounts remained unpaid. They had not reached an agreement, but Lawyer Kaew appeared on the show claiming the cancellation was because he was not paid properly, which harmed them.
When asked why Lawyer Kaew refused to sign, Poo said he claimed anyone could sign. She had hired him as a lawyer, so he was obligated to act on her behalf. The investigator advised both Lawyer Kaew and Poo that if Poo was hospitalized, Lawyer Kaew should have stated the truth that she was ill, not that she visited a sick relative out of province, which was false. His statements on "Hon Krasae" further damaged her reputation.
Regarding the contract, Aon said there was no signed agreement, only a money transfer slip, since Lawyer Kaew would not work without payment. They could have settled the matter if Lawyer Kaew had not publicly discussed the issue of payment discrepancies on the show. As a mediator, Aon wanted to clarify that they aimed to protect both parties' interests.
Reporters asked if Lawyer Kaew's claim on the show—that he was not hired to insult—was misinterpreted as implying he insulted the opposing party. Poo responded that both the host and Lawyer Kaew incited that impression. At that time, Poo had only one opposing party, Luk Mee, and had hired Lawyer Kaew for legal representation, not to insult anyone. She challenged Lawyer Kaew to provide proof if she had hired him to insult the opposing party, as his claims on the show were false and damaging.
She further revealed that she later learned Lawyer Kaew was close to Lawyer Decha, Lawyer Kung, and the opposing party, which might explain why he refused to sign as her lawyer. Shortly after, the opposing party was invited to appear on "Hon Krasae." Documents were due to be submitted to the investigator by 18 June 2024, and on 20 June, Poo received a second summons. Failure to appear could have led to an arrest warrant issued by Lawyer Kung and Lawyer Decha. Poo was worried because she had never faced legal trouble before.
Lawyer Kaew did not request a postponement but appeared on the show claiming he had done work for Poo, met the investigator, and sent a letter requesting a postponement. Today, Poo brought investigators from Thonglor Police Station and investigators involved in a land fraud case worth hundreds of millions, in which Poo was a victim, to testify on her behalf, along with Aon's company representatives.
When asked if she would sue to recover 50,000 baht, Poo said she believed Lawyer Kaew did nothing for her and that 50,000 was too expensive for just one A4 page, which did not require any expertise. Lawyer Kaew never met the investigator himself but merely sent a file for Aon's company to print, and Poo signed and submitted it herself.
When asked what amount would be appropriate if not 50,000 baht, Poo said that was up to the court's discretion but felt 50,000 was too high for one A4 page and considered a few thousand baht fairer, leaving the decision to the court.
Regarding today's atmosphere during the plaintiff and defendant witness hearings, Poo said she saw the team mention that Lawyer Tuy stopped by, though she wasn't sure why. She only discussed the case with Lawyer Kaew. The atmosphere was a bit tense as both sides presented evidence.
When asked how long the case might take to resolve, the lawyer said about one month, likely next month. Asked about confidence, Poo said she would accept any verdict and presented facts truthfully. She was confident but acknowledged it depended on evidence and the court's judgment.
Poo admitted that because the opposing party had filed over 20 cases against her, she was overwhelmed preparing evidence but did her best. She was unsure if it was complete but was at peace with whatever outcome, knowing what she had done and whether she was at fault, as was the opposing party. She accepted the court's decision.
Poo's lawyer stated that Lawyer Kaew claimed he had worked after Poo transferred money on 16 June 2024 and she asked for a refund on 19 June. Lawyer Kaew must clarify what was done in those four days. If he claimed to have paid others, he should provide receipts. However, today's defense lacked such evidence, offering only vague statements. The court must decide the appropriate amount.
The lawyer said he had no problem with the fee but questioned whether Lawyer Kaew had performed any work. Poo instructed the lawyer to submit documents to the investigator on 18 June, but the investigator threatened to issue an arrest warrant for Poo, which raised concerns about whether Lawyer Kaew had fulfilled his duties. Later, they learned that Aon, the mediator who paid Poo 10,000 baht, only received 90,000 baht back from Lawyer Kaew.
Poo explained she transferred 150,000 baht, and Lawyer Kaew paid a 10,000 baht commission to Aon, which she was unsure if it violated lawyer ethics. The brokerage company was entitled to it. Lawyer Kaew refunded 60,000 baht initially, then 30,000 baht later, and the company transferred 10,000 baht to Poo, totaling 100,000 baht.
Poo felt the fee was too high as Lawyer Kaew did not perform work for her. She invited Lawyer Kaew to propose a fair amount, but not 50,000 baht. On the day of the investigator meeting, Lawyer Kaew did not attend, which worried Poo until the company lawyer helped reschedule, avoiding an arrest warrant.
When asked if she now faces 26 cases, Poo said, "About 20-something, I can't remember exactly. When asked if it could reach 30 cases, the opposing party said they would file more. My team warns me that they are trying to provoke me into retaliating, which would lead to more cases. Everyone, including journalists and close friends, worry and advise me not to respond. I have stopped posting for two weeks now, although they continue to insult me daily. Sometimes I want to respond with facts but hold back, or it could escalate to 40-50 cases. My new version will not respond anymore."
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