Pastor Sued by Insurance Company for Claiming Nearly $400K for Crippling Disease
The Rev. Cynthia McCullough of St. John AME Zion Church in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, was slapped with a federal lawsuit by New York Life Friday for receiving nearly $400,000 in insurance payments for claims of having a crippling disease the company contends doesn't seem to be affecting her quality of life.
In the lawsuit highlighted by The News & Observer, McCullough allegedly claimed that she suffered from reflex sympathetic dystrophy a rare and chronic nervous system disorder that causes severe pain, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. She said the disease made her unable to bathe and dress and required her to have constant home care. The company contends that claim is not true and is demanding McCullough pay back some $389,500 it said she was paid from her comprehensive long-term care insurance policy since 2010.
An investigation by the company on Dec. 30, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2017, showed the pastor freely moving about and lifting objects into her SUV without problem. She also allegedly drove about 50 miles to her church.
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"While under surveillance, McCullough moved freely without any apparent sign of hesitation or restriction and without the use of any visible support devices. Surveillance video revealed McCullough walking with a normal gait in and out of a church and her home independently, without the assistance of another person or the use of a cane. It showed her lifting her arms while putting various items into her SUV and taking them out," the lawsuit said.
"McCullough was able to bend at the waist and place things into the car's backseat. The surveillance video further revealed McCullough was able to bend down and pick an item up off of the ground and was able to carry a large handbag and several other items using both arms."
New York Life also pointed to photos posted by the church on Facebook showing McCullough playing Skee-Ball and joyfully going down an inflatable slide.
After an independent medical review by the insurance company determined that there was not enough evidence to support the pastor's medical claims, her benefits were discontinued in July 2017 and she was offered "an opportunity to participate in an Independent Medical Examination."
Despite an appeal from the pastor about the company's decision, they were not convinced.
"New York Life likewise now believes McCullough is not now and has not been a chronically ill person and McCullough did not — and still does not — require substantial assistance in performing the ADLs, even though she must, among other things, require such assistance to qualify for benefits under the policy," the company said. "Accordingly, New York Life is entitled to recover a judgment against McCullough for the amounts it paid to her in excess of the benefits payable under the policy, plus all of the prejudgment and post-judgment interest that accrues on those amounts."
The Christian Post sought to independently verify a number of the social media posts online, but all references cited by the lawsuit appear to have been scrubbed.
