The woman who claims defrocked monk Wirapol Sukphol, formerly known as Luang Pu Nen Kham, fathered her 11-year-old son on Tuesday filed suit in the Si Sa Ket Youth and Family Court, asking that the disgraced monk be acknowleged as the boy's father and that he be ordered to pay 40 million baht in back-dated child maintenance.
She was accompanied to the court by lawyer Somchart Wongtarathorn and her son.
The lawyer said if the boy is accepted as Mr Wirapol's legal son he would have rights over his father's assets or an inheritance.
The lawsuit asks the court to order Mr Wirapol to pay child maintenance of two million baht per year for 20 years, from his birth until he is 20 years old.
The high figure is based on Mr Wirapol's reported financial status. The court will decide on a proper amount, he said.
Because the demand for child maintenance is so high, the court fee could be as high as 800,000 baht, he said. The court has been asked to exempt the court fee for the plaintiff, who is poor and cannot afford to pay it, Mr Somchart said.