Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Friday asked the Maricopa County Superior Court to appoint a receiver to take control of Heritage Village Assisted Living, a Mesa elder care facility.

Mayes filed a lawsuit last week alleging elder abuse and consumer fraud by the owners of Heritage Village and others involved in the enterprise. Today’s filing seeks to remove the current Heritage Village owners from control while the lawsuit is pending.

“The vulnerable residents at Heritage Village face not only the danger of inadequate care and dangerous conditions, but also the danger of Heritage Village shutting down entirely because it lost its license,” the attorney general said.

“In the near term we are asking the court to bring in a receiver to run the facility correctly and ensure the residents receive the care they are paying for. Ultimately, we will ask the court to find new owners for Heritage Village and permanently block the current owners from any future contact with vulnerable adults in Arizona.”

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced in January it intends to revoke the Heritage Village license due to a repeated pattern of numerous and severe violations Arizona law, a release from Mayes’ office stated.

The Attorney General filed the lawsuit and receivership application to make immediate changes at Heritage Village and prevent the need to relocate approximately 150 residents.

“If Heritage Village loses its license, families whose loved ones currently reside there will have to scramble to make new arrangements,” Mayes said of the those connected to the approximately 150 residents.

 “The residents and their families are the victims here. They do not deserve this disruption when the court can appoint competent professionals to ensure quality care while our lawsuit moves forward.”

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.