Oklahoma AG Drummond allowed to join lawsuit against State Farm

Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman

Wed, December 31, 2025 at 5:59 PM UTC

2 min read

Oklahoma's attorney general has officially joined the lawsuit against State Farm over allegations that the insurance company intentionally avoided paying out legitimate claims for roof damage.

In a hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 30, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Amy Palumbo agreed to let Attorney General Gentner Drummond intervene on behalf of the state.

By intervening in the lawsuit, Drummond gives homeowners a powerful ally to investigate suspicions that State Farm Fire and Casualty Company formed an illegal enterprise to avoid paying out legitimate insurance claims related to hail damage.

"Such a scheme shocks the conscience," the attorney general's office wrote in a Dec. 4 motion to join the case. "Oklahomans are paying rising homeowners insurance premiums yet receiving less protection in return, as State Farm simultaneously pursues additional rate increases while allegedly escalating its claim denials and underpayment practices."

Drummond could not be immediately reached for comment.

According to court documents filed by homeowners and Drummond's office in Oklahoma County District Court, State Farm allegedly developed an internal program known as the "Hail Focus Initiative." This program is accused of limiting who can approve roof replacements, creating a new definition of "hail damage" and instructing adjusters that damage from hail should be attributed to wear and tear, installation error, cosmetic damage or manufacturing defects.

The lawsuit, filed in April 2025, is the latest of around 200 similar cases filed against State Farm on behalf of homeowners. In each of those cases, the plaintiffs are represented by the Oklahoma City law firm Whitten Burrage. Attorneys for the firm have criticized State Farm's "good neighbor" image by claiming it makes bad-faith promises.

For example, according to the firm, State Farm uses a "very narrow and limited definition of what constitutes hail damage that is not contained in the insured's policy." To back up this claim, they point to an October 2023 storm that caused substantial wind and hail damage to the roof and exterior of Bill and Lacy Hursh's Tulsa-area home.

When an adjuster arrived five months later to inspect the damage, he "failed to recognize the vast majority of damage to the insured property" and used similar language to deny other claims, the lawsuit claims.

State Farm has denied the allegations and previously told The Oklahoman that the company is "committed to giving our customers all the benefits their insurance policies provide."

"The fact that someone files a lawsuit does not mean the allegations made are true," State Farm said.

The company's attorneys have filed a flurry of motions over the past year to block attempts to depose its executives and employees. Oklahoma Watch reported that Palumbo recently warned State Farm's attorneys about playing "discovery games" and cautioned against falling into "a continuous pattern to disregard the orders of this court."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma AG joins lawsuit against State Farm over roof claims

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