Wayne Co. Woman Fined For Providing Unlicensed Adult Foster Care

DETROIT — A Wayne County woman who in 2019 was barred from providing adult foster care services has been found in contempt for violating that order, Michigan authorities said Wednesday.

Mylaya Hightower appeared in Wayne County Circuit Court before Judge Dana Margaret Hathaway in late January for a show cause hearing where she was found in contempt for violating an October 2019 order barring her from providing unlicensed adult foster care services, according to the Michigan Attorney General's office. Hightower also was fined $1,000, authorities said.

This case was referred to the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which discovered Hightower was violating the permanent injunction in a follow-up investigation at her Detroit facility, officials said.

“This defendant not only neglected to abide by the state’s licensing regulations that govern adult foster care, but chose not to follow a specific directive from the court,” Nessel said. “My office will continue to work in tandem with LARA to enforce the laws of this state and pursue legal action when appropriate to ensure compliance.”

In October 2019, the court entered a permanent injunction prohibiting Hightower from providing adult foster care without a license at any location within the state, as required under the Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act, officials said.

Hightower was never licensed by the state to provide adult foster care and in February and December 2017, LARA’s Bureau of Community and Health Systems received complaints that she was providing unlicensed adult foster care, authorities said Wednesday.

The agency investigated and substantiated both complaints against her before providing Hightower an opportunity to apply for a license or cease operation, but she did neither, officials said. As a result, LARA referred the matter to the Attorney General’s office, which led to the October 2019 permanent injunction, officials said.

“Michigan’s regulatory structure provides protections for Michigan residents who require adult foster care services,” LARA Director Orlene Hawks said. “When a care provider is not properly licensed by the state or is acting in violation of those professional parameters, there is risk to the people using that service and we must act to protect those individuals.”