Sperm donor is the target of child support order

Typically, most child support issues involve two people who have had some sort of relationship, whether it is through marriage or not, and their children. But what happens when a case involves three people, one of whom was never really part of the equation in the first place?

Las Vegas readers may be interested to hear about a unique child support case coming out of the state of Kansas. The state is trying to order a man to pay child support after he fathered a child as a sperm donor.

The man reportedly donated his sperm to a lesbian couple who later split in 2010 after being together for eight years. The man fathered one of their eight children after responding to their Craigslist advertisement. After their split, one of the women applied for health benefits through the state. The state demanded to know the name of the sperm donor and threatened to withhold benefits if she did not reveal the name.

The state is now trying to order the man to pay $6,000 for a payment the state made for the child, as well as future child support payments. They claim that because the insemination was not done through a licensed physician, the man cannot relinquish his financial obligation to the child. Due to this, the sperm donor contract between the couple and the 46-year-old man is considered void, according to the state.

As this case points out, child support cases are not always so cut-and-dry and may entail complex legal issues that are important to address in order to arrive at the best outcome for all involved.

Source: Fox News, “Mother lied about knowing sperm donor, agency says in demanding donor pay,” Jan. 5, 2013