Investigators from the Office of Insurance Fraud and Enforcement at the Louisiana Department of Insurance on July 22 issued non-resident public adjuster Kade Austen Mitchell and his agency a cease-and-desist order and notice of suspension for improperly withholding, misappropriating, or converting funds received in the course of doing business.
Domiciled in Texas, Mitchell was issued a non-resident public adjuster license in Louisiana in December 2020. He is listed as the designated responsible party for Mitchell Adjusting International, LLC, which was licensed in Louisiana in September 2020. Mitchell has 30 days to request an administrative appeal of this action.
Mitchell Adjusting International is alleged to have fraudulently endorsed checks totaling $150,000 from an insurance company, according to LDI. Mitchell also allegedly failed to remit the funds to the insured. On a separate occasion, Mitchell allegedly withheld an insurance claim payment from a policyholder in the amount of $117,441.43.
“Louisiana policyholders put great trust in the public adjusters they hire to handle their claims after a loss and deserve to have that trust honored,” said Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. “This sort of behavior will not be tolerated in the Louisiana insurance market.”
A copy of the cease-and-desist order is available here.
Source: Louisiana Department of Insurance
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