Hermesmann v. Seyer, 847 P.2d 1273 (Kan. 1993))[1] was a precedent-setting Kansas, United States, case in which Colleen Hermesmann successfully argued that a woman is entitled to sue the father of her child for child support even if conception occurred as a result of a criminal act committed by the woman.
Criminal charges had been brought against Hermesmann by Shawnee County, Kansas, accusing her of "engaging in the act of sexual intercourse with a child under sixteen" whilst she herself was a juvenile.
[2]: 448 In 1991, the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, in Hermesmann's name, took Seyer to court seeking child support.
[6] In 1993, the Kansas Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Seyer that he was not liable to pay for child support.
[2] The court also ruled that a mother's potential culpability under criminal statutes was of no relevance in determining the father's child support liability in a civil action.