E.J. Hammann Speaks with WBFF Fox45 About Maryland’s Unlicensed Care Homes
Brown & Barron, LLC PartnerEmily Jordan “E.J.” Hammannwas recently featured by WBFF Fox45 in itsSpotlight on Marylandinvestigative series examining a growing crisis in elder care: the rise of unlicensed assisted living facilities operating throughout Baltimore.
Thesegment,“Senior Trafficking: The Shadow Industry Maryland Won’t Shut Down,”revealed that more than115 unlicensed facilitiesacross the city quietly house thousands of elderly and disabled residents, often in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Despite hundreds of complaints to state regulators and a 2023 law making it a felony to operate unlicensed homes, Maryland agencies have referredonly one case for prosecutionsince the law took effect and none so far in 2025.
The investigation described a system where vulnerable adults are placed in overcrowded and unregulated homes withno trained medical staff, little oversight, and frequent signs of neglect and exploitation.Many of these residents are discharged from hospitals into unlicensed facilities simply because they have nowhere else to go, perpetuating what experts call a dangerous “cycle of abandonment.”
Speaking to WBFF, Hammann emphasized that the human toll of this crisis is being overlooked.
“Our elderly population tends to be quiet, especially when they’re ill. They’re not making a lot of noise,” Hammann said. “What we have is a quiet generation slowly slipping away, and nobody’s noticing.”
She also drew attention to the way some facilities treat residents less like people and more like stored property:
“Lawyers who work on elder neglect and elder abuse talk about the absence of care,” Hammann explained. “And I think it is sometimes akin to warehousing. It’s like you’re renting a storage unit — you sign a contract, you put boxes in a storage unit, and you forget about them.”
TheSpotlight on Marylandinvestigation, which will continue airing in the coming months, highlights not only widespread regulatory failures but also the urgent need for transparency and accountability from both care operators and state agencies tasked with oversight.
You can watch the fullSpotlight on Marylandsegment featuring E.J. Hammannhere.
As a Partner at Brown & Barron, LLC, E.J. Hammann represents families across Maryland innursing home abuse, neglect, and wrongful death cases, helping expose systemic failures that allow such conditions to persist. Her work reflects the firm’s commitment to protecting the dignity and safety of seniors and ensuring that those responsible for neglect are held accountable under the law.