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Mike Madigan, a licensed, 35-year veteran private investigator who worked in California mostly on questionable workers’ compensation claims, was killed in a car accident on Wednesday, April 19^th, 2017 on Ortega Highway about five miles east of the 5 freeway and San Juan Capistrano.

Mike was driving home to Lake Forest from the Riverside, California courthouse when the accident occurred. His wreaked car was shown in the photograph accompanying the article first published by the Orange County Register at 6:00 pm that evening.

It is possible that the western sun blinded Mike. He was driving due west right at the time the sun was lowering on the horizon.  His family is devastated. 

Mike was 69 years old.  He was born in 1947 in New York.  While still in New York, he met his wife Carol.  They then lived in Casablanca before heading west to Orange County, California.  There they had two daughters.

Mike is survived by his wife, Carol, his daughter April and her husband, Peter; his daughter Michelle and her husband, Andy, and his four grandchildren. 

Mike Madigan’s business was called Litigation Archives, Inc.  His area of expertise was in locating documentation for insurance carriers, self-insureds, and human resources professionals when evaluating questionable claims.   He worked for Chubb Insurance, State Compensation Insurance Fund, Metropolitan Stevedore Company, Federal Insurance, Experian, The Buddy Group, and various others. 

His tag line was: “You evaluate claims – we evaluate claimants.”   He had a “due diligence report” he did for his clients that included usual and customary records on claimants that claims adjusters look at when checking out suspicious claims.  Those records Mike pulled and put together ranged from DMV reports, to criminal and civil case indexes, to bankruptcy filings, tax liens, and sundry others.  Mike specialized in gathering these documents that could shed light on a claim’s validity.  His focus, he said, was on accuracy.

But that wasn't all Mike did.  He was also a writer.  He was the author of three published editions of the work: The Twisted Badge.  

Mike knew Southern California and the frauds and crimes that went on there.   On January 6, 2014, Mike wrote to this writer after the Sim Hoffman, M.D. indictment for egregious workers’ compensation overbilling in Orange County was shockingly thrown out by the judge due to a successful 995 defense action.

“Judge Froeberg did the DA’s office a favor.  The case was overbroad and complicated as originally filed.  The new case will be leaner and meaner with a better chance for convictions.”

Before that, after this writer followed the Kelly Soo Park case pre-trial and trial for the murder of aspiring actress and model Juliana Redding in a Los Angeles court room for three years, Mike Madigan sent a thoughtful, personal note by email, just after the acquittal in the Summer of 2013:

“Justice doesn’t always happen in our courts and I was disappointed to read about the result.  I hope you’ll be able to continue.”

I’m sure Mike would hope today that his family, colleagues, and friends will be able to continue.   He will be missed.

When Mike bought his Banner Ad on adjustercom starting on April 15, 2013, he opened his letter by stating, “Thanks very much for the good work you do.”  That day happened to be my birthday.

So, in return, thank you, Mike, for the good work you did to serve so many of us.  Rest in peace while we remember you.

Litigation Archives, Inc. has now closed with Mike’s departure.  All remaining matters in need of handling can be referred to his executor, his son-in-law, Peter Deutschman, at petedeutschman@gmail.com

lonce@adjustercom.com