In 1990, one insurer sued [Tom Gallagher] and accused him of slandering the company. Gallagher had accused Golden Rule Insurance Co. of "bait-and-switch" tactics in the sale of its Medicare supplement insurance. A trial is scheduled for December in Leon County Circuit Court.

One potential embarrassment for Gallagher was erased recently when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Gallagher or his subordinates, who were accused in 1991 of accepting bribes to protect a failing insurer.

In 1987, [Bob Martinez] appointed Gallagher to head the state agency that regulates doctors, engineers and other professionals. In 1988, Gallagher was elected insurance commissioner and treasurer. He was reelected in 1990.