John,
It's Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. I just announced a settlement that permanently bars the owners of Heritage Village Assisted Living from ever providing healthcare to vulnerable adults in Arizona again.
Heritage Village was one of the most notorious assisted living facilities in Arizona.
Numerous residents suffered violence and assault by other residents and staff. The facility was on the brink of permanent closure, facing revocation of its operating license and foreclosure.
I filed a lawsuit alleging elder abuse and consumer fraud. And I asked the court to place Heritage Village into receivership — the first time an Attorney General has exercised that authority since the legislature added it to the Adult Protective Services Act in 1989.
Here's what we achieved:
Gary Langendoen, Tracy Langendoen, and any companies they own are permanently barred from providing healthcare services to vulnerable adults in Arizona. They can never apply for a license. They can never have ownership or management interest in any facility caring for our elderly.
They're paying $100,000 in civil penalties.
And the facility itself? It's still operating under new management — and we haven't received a single consumer complaint since the new owners took control.
This is what holding bad actors accountable looks like.
Instead of letting Heritage Village collapse and leave dozens of elderly residents scrambling for new accommodations, we put it into receivership. We forced improvements to resident care. We got it sold to new owners focused on actually caring for people.
And we made sure the Langendoens can never put Arizona's elderly at risk again.
This settlement represents the latest in a string of lawsuits my office has filed against assisted living facilities.
Earlier this month, I announced another significant settlement against the Brookhaven assisted living facility. We've barred facilities from including secrecy clauses in their arbitration agreements. We've gone after facilities where residents eloped and died from heat exposure.
When assisted living facilities endanger our most vulnerable citizens, I pursue the operators and caregivers who refuse to comply with the laws meant to protect them.
While Warren Petersen and his Republican colleagues are passing resolutions calling for my resignation, I'm actually doing the work of Attorney General.
I'm protecting seniors from abuse and neglect. I'm shutting down facilities that endanger residents. I'm making sure the people responsible can never hurt vulnerable adults again.
That's my job. And I'm going to keep doing it — no matter how many political attacks Republicans throw at me.
If you have information about elder care facilities endangering residents, please contact my office so we can investigate.
And if you want to support an Attorney General who protects Arizona's most vulnerable citizens, chip in today.
I won't stop fighting for seniors who can't fight for themselves.
Thanks for having my back,
-Kris | 