Adjuster making slanderous statements

We have an adjuster at State Farm who absolutely hates our business. A little history - this adjuster once tried to start up his own roofing business when we started up, unfortunately for him, we have become incredibly successful. This adjuster is nothing but a sniveling child with a vendetta. He is currently on a streak right now where he is pulling aside the customer and making slanderous statements. He has told customers outright that the damage to their roof was man-made and not to use us. It does not seem to matter to him that there was a huge storm in the area and there is a large number of shingles damaged and due to hail and wind on a 30+ year old roof, he absolutely hates our company. We have lost quite a few roofs due to his slanderous statements. Including referrals from incredibly satisfied customers. We have called State Farm about this particular adjuster and recorded a few statements we have made. We also have some very loyal customers who have defended our business and told us what this particular adjuster has been saying. He and one other are the only adjusters we have problems with. We do approximately 400 roofs a year and deal primarily with insurance companies. With the exception of those two, adjusters absolutely love us. They use us for ladder assists and consultations, we are on their preferred lists and even receive a few unsolicited referrals from them. What should we do to stop this? We are losing thousands of dollars in roofs because of this sore-loser.

I would contact the Department of Insurance with all of your recorded statements.

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But what about state farm?

You could get a Public Adjuster involved to get the roofs replaced and/or report it is Adjuster Fraud. *Not Legal Advice

Definately 100% call the dept of insurance. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. At the very least a complaint is extra work that no adjuster wants to do, at best one more bully put in place

Im intrigued to know what you did here @kanderson and how it is going!

The rogue adjuster is not doing anything that State Farm management is unaware of. If he was in my market, I would make sure that the attorney general focused on his and State Farm’s anti-consumer and anti-contractor RICO market conduct.

Google tortuous interference of a contract and call an attorney. Consider suing him individually for interfering with contractual relations and jointly suing state farm. If you do nothing about this, nothing will change.

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Dear Insurance Adjuster, Is your E&O insurance policy paid up?

Changes in Catastrophe Adjusting Role Affect Carriers
By Denise Johnson | July 28, 2011 (excerpted)

“This year’s increased number of weather-related catastrophes could lead to a reduction in available experienced catastrophe adjusters should additional disasters occur, and produce increased litigation against adjusters, according to a recent panel discussion on the subject organized by A.M. Best. The panelists suggest the anticipated lack of manpower poses a challenge to insurers and independent adjusting firms as the use of less qualified personnel and company adjusters increases. These could raise quality assurance issues and the potential for subsequent litigation, they said.” “Now, adjusters face new challenges as a host of plaintiff-oriented law firms target independent adjusting firms, and claims personnel individually, filing widespread lawsuits aimed at reopening previously settled catastrophe-related claims”

“By [hurricane] Ike, the plaintiffs’ bar…really got involved in filing lawsuits not only against the property insurers, but what was a new phenomenon was that they were now filing these lawsuits against, and serving, not only the insurance companies, but the independent adjusting companies that handled the claims, as well as the individual independent adjuster,” said Lightstone. “They filed those lawsuits by the tens of thousands…Adjusters, individually, have had as many as 100 lawsuits that they have been served with.” “Lightstone said that in most instances, the defense was tendered to the carrier for whom they conducted the work. In 80 percent of the cases, the carrier assumed the defense with the caveat that if a conflict was discovered, the defense obligation could end.”

“Where the carrier elected not to defend the independent adjuster they were forced to tender the case to their E&O [errors and omissions] carrier,” said Lightstone. “While both insurers and independent firms will be affected by the growing litigation, independent adjusters may suffer the greatest impact of all, they said. An adjuster individually named in a lawsuit that becomes a matter of a public record may be hit with a negative credit rating, an issue that might deter future adjusters from catastrophe work and pose even more problems for the insurance industry in the wake of a stormy weather season.”

From: 3RS Profit MAX / The Playbook