K.S.A. » Chapter 21
Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 21-5417 (2026)

Mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person

✓ current as of May 2026
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21-5417. Mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person. (a) Mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person is knowingly committing one or more of the following acts:

(1) Infliction of physical injury, unreasonable confinement or unreasonable punishment upon a dependent adult or an elder person;

(2) taking the personal property or financial resources of a dependent adult or an elder person for the benefit of the defendant or another person by taking control, title, use or management of the personal property or financial resources of a dependent adult or an elder person through:

(A) Undue influence, coercion, harassment, duress, deception, false representation, false pretense or without adequate consideration to such dependent adult or elder person;

(B) a violation of the Kansas power of attorney act, K.S.A. 58-650 et seq., and amendments thereto;

(C) a violation of the Kansas uniform trust code, K.S.A. 58a-101 et seq., and amendments thereto; or

(D) a violation of the Kansas uniform guardianship, conservatorship and other protective arrangements act, K.S.A. 59-30,101 through 59-30,212, and amendments thereto; or

(3) omission or deprivation of treatment, goods or services that are necessary to maintain physical or mental health of such dependent adult or elder person.

(b) Mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person as defined in:

(1) (A) Subsection (a)(1) is a severity level 5, person felony, except as provided in subsection (b)(1)(B);

(B) subsection (a)(1) is a severity level 2, person felony, when the victim is a dependent adult who is a resident of an adult care home, as described in subsection (e)(2)(A), during the commission of the offense;

(2) subsection (a)(2) if the aggregate amount of the value of the personal property or financial resources is:

(A) $1,000,000 or more is a severity level 2, person felony;

(B) at least $250,000 but less than $1,000,000 is a severity level 3, person felony;

(C) at least $100,000 but less than $250,000 is a severity level 4, person felony;

(D) at least $25,000 but less than $100,000 is a severity level 5, person felony;

(E) at least $1,500 but less than $25,000 is a severity level 7, person felony;

(F) less than $1,500 is a class A person misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (b)(2)(G); and

(G) less than $1,500 and committed by a person who has, within five years immediately preceding commission of the crime, been convicted of a violation of this section two or more times is a severity level 7, person felony; and

(3) (A) subsection (a)(3) is a severity level 8, person felony, except as provided in subsection (b)(3)(B); and

(B) subsection (a)(3) is a severity level 5, person felony, when the victim is a dependent adult who is a resident of an adult care home, as described in subsection (e)(2)(A), during the commission of the offense.

(c) It shall be an affirmative defense to any prosecution for mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person as described in subsection (a)(2) that:

(1) The personal property or financial resources were given as a gift consistent with a pattern of gift giving to the person that existed before the dependent adult or elder person became vulnerable;

(2) the personal property or financial resources were given as a gift consistent with a pattern of gift giving to a class of individuals that existed before the dependent adult or elder person became vulnerable;

(3) the personal property or financial resources were conferred as a gift by the dependent adult or elder person to the benefit of a person or class of persons, and such gift was reasonable under the circumstances; or

(4) a court approved the transaction before the transaction occurred.

(d) No dependent adult or elder person is considered to be mistreated under subsection (a)(1) or (a)(3) for the sole reason that such dependent adult or elder person relies upon or is being furnished treatment by spiritual means through prayer in lieu of medical treatment in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination of which such dependent adult or elder person is a member or adherent.

(e) As used in this section:

(1) "Adequate consideration" means the personal property or financial resources were given to the person as payment for bona fide goods or services provided by such person and the payment was at a rate customary for similar goods or services in the community that the dependent adult or elder person resided in at the time of the transaction.

(2) "Dependent adult" means an individual 18 years of age or older who is unable to protect the individual's own interest. Such term shall include, but is not limited to, any:

(A) Resident of an adult care home including, but not limited to, those facilities defined by K.S.A. 39-923, and amendments thereto;

(B) adult cared for in a private residence;

(C) individual kept, cared for, treated, boarded, confined or otherwise accommodated in a medical care facility;

(D) individual with intellectual disability or a developmental disability receiving services through a community facility for people with intellectual disability or residential facility licensed under K.S.A. 39-2001 et seq., and amendments thereto;

(E) individual with a developmental disability receiving services provided by a community service provider as provided in the developmental disability reform act; or

(F) individual kept, cared for, treated, boarded, confined or otherwise accommodated in a state psychiatric hospital or state institution for people with intellectual disability.

(3) "Elder person" means a person 60 years of age or older.

(f) An offender who violates the provisions of this section may also be prosecuted for, convicted of, and punished for any other offense in article 54, 55, 56 or 58 of chapter 21 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, or K.S.A. 21-6418, and amendments thereto.

History: L. 2010, ch. 136, § 52; L. 2011, ch. 91, § 33; L. 2012, ch. 91, § 15; L. 2014, ch. 90, § 1; L. 2014, ch. 139, § 1; L. 2018, ch. 112, § 5; L. 2021, ch. 105, § 2; L. 2025, ch. 40, § 139; January 1, 2026.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (9 in the last 5 years), 2017–2026 · leading case: State v. Union, 553 P.3d 320 (Kan. 2024).
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State v. Union, 553 P.3d 320 (Kan. 2024). · cites it 2× “2021) (unpublished opinion) ("Without parsing the statutory language too finely, we recognize the Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417[a][2][A] to criminalize a 10 wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of a dependent adult, such as the 'use' of…”
State v. Frias, 502 P.3d 650 (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 9× “" The Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417 "to criminalize a wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of [an elder person] .”
State v. Burris, 544 P.3d 841 (Kan. 2024). · cites it 5× “K.S.A. 2022 Supp. 21-5417 imposes a legal duty of care on the primary caregivers of dependent adults.”
State v. Burris (Kan. 2024). · cites it 5× “K.S.A. 2022 Supp. 21-5417 imposes a legal duty of care on the primary caregivers of dependent adults.”
State v. Cleverley, 390 P.3d 75 (Kan. Ct. App. 2017). “See K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 21-5417(b)(2)(D). Cleverley challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting two elements of the offense: that Clev-erley exerted undue influence over McCool and that Cleverley caused at least $25,000 in loss to McCool.”
State v. Mayfield (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 3× “" K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2)(A). Without parsing the statutory language too finely, we recognize the Legislature intended K.”
In re Ball, 483 P.3d 1057 (Kan. 2021). “The respondent's misconduct in one case resulted in his conviction of mistreatment of a dependent adult, in violation of K.S.A. 2012 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2) and (b)(2)(D), a level 5 person felony and giving a worthless check, in violation of K.”
State v. Watts (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “21-5807(b); mistreatment of an elderly person, a severity level 7 person felony, in violation of K.S.A. 2019 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2)(A); and theft, a severity level 9 nonperson felony, in violation of K.”
State v. Smith (Kan. Ct. App. 2025). “See K.S.A. 21-5417(b)(2)(B), (D). Before the plea hearing, Smith moved for a dispositional departure.”
State v. Womack (Kan. Ct. App. 2026). “Despite the legislature's presumption that Womack's crime carry a prison sentence, the district court showed leniency through a dispositional departure and allowed him to serve probation.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(a)(1) — 1 case
State v. Womack (Kan. Ct. App. 2026). “Despite the legislature's presumption that Womack's crime carry a prison sentence, the district court showed leniency through a dispositional departure and allowed him to serve probation.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(a)(2) — 1 case
In re Ball, 483 P.3d 1057 (Kan. 2021). “The respondent's misconduct in one case resulted in his conviction of mistreatment of a dependent adult, in violation of K.S.A. 2012 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2) and (b)(2)(D), a level 5 person felony and giving a worthless check, in violation of K.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(a)(2)(A) — 3 cases
State v. Union, 553 P.3d 320 (Kan. 2024). “2021) (unpublished opinion) ("Without parsing the statutory language too finely, we recognize the Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417[a][2][A] to criminalize a 10 wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of a dependent adult, such as the 'use' of…”
State v. Mayfield (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2)(A). Without parsing the statutory language too finely, we recognize the Legislature intended K.”
State v. Watts (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “21-5807(b); mistreatment of an elderly person, a severity level 7 person felony, in violation of K.S.A. 2019 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2)(A); and theft, a severity level 9 nonperson felony, in violation of K.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(b)(1) — 1 case
State v. Frias, 502 P.3d 650 (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" The Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417 "to criminalize a wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of [an elder person] .”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(b)(1)(A) — 1 case
State v. Frias, 502 P.3d 650 (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" The Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417 "to criminalize a wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of [an elder person] .”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(b)(2)(B) — 1 case
State v. Smith (Kan. Ct. App. 2025). “See K.S.A. 21-5417(b)(2)(B), (D). Before the plea hearing, Smith moved for a dispositional departure.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(b)(2)(D) — 1 case
State v. Cleverley, 390 P.3d 75 (Kan. Ct. App. 2017). “See K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 21-5417(b)(2)(D). Cleverley challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting two elements of the offense: that Clev-erley exerted undue influence over McCool and that Cleverley caused at least $25,000 in loss to McCool.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(e) — 1 case
State v. Frias, 502 P.3d 650 (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" The Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417 "to criminalize a wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of [an elder person] .”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(g)(2) — 1 case
State v. Mayfield (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417(a)(2)(A). Without parsing the statutory language too finely, we recognize the Legislature intended K.”
— K.S.A. § 21-5417(g)(3) — 1 case
State v. Frias, 502 P.3d 650 (Kan. Ct. App. 2021). “" The Legislature intended K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 21-5417 "to criminalize a wide range of ways to divert or take the financial resources of [an elder person] .”
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