Carolina Public Adjuster, a Candidate for Congress, Accused of Mishandling Payments

A public adjuster who is running for Congress in South Carolina has been accused of absconding with thousands of dollars in insurance payments that were meant for home restorations.

A Columbia, South Carolina, TV station reported that two property owners have come forward with complaints about Michael Addison, who is running for U.S. House District 6. A homeowner had suffered a fire and a church had roof damage from a storm in 2018.

The property owners assigned rights to Addison, who is also an Orangeburg chiropractor, to determine damages and handle the insurance claims. The owners later found out that their insurers had paid $50,000 on one claim and $70,000 on another, but Addison had reportedly never sent the money for the restoration work.

Nearly two years after her house fire, Sandra Boone, of Columbia, is still living in a hotel waiting for her home to be restored, the TV station reported. Boone took Addison to court to get him discharged from the claim.

“These private adjusters take on the role almost as attorneys,” said Boone’s lawyer, Hank Wall. “They receive other people’s money. It is a high level of trust. They have a fiduciary responsibility and there is very few regulations. It is an antiquated thing, really, but we have it in South Carolina and it is dangerous.”

Addison has declined to comment. The South Carolina Department of Insurance and law enforcement authorities are reviewing the case.