By Chad T. Wilson Law Firm Staff — based on reporting by JC Hallman and John Dobberstein December 3rd, 2025
Several severe hailstorms struck Oklahoma in October, damaging thousands of homes across the state. To make matters worse, a growing wave of recent lawsuits suggests that many homeowners are being denied or underpaid for hail damage to their roofs by State Farm. If your home in Oklahoma has recently survived a hail storm and your insurance claim was denied or severely underpaid, you may not be alone.
According to recent investigative reporting and court filings, “More than 100 Oklahoma families have taken the insurance giant, State Farm, to court, alleging the company schemed to deny hail damage claims and pocket billions of dollars.” (KFOR) The high out-of-pocket costs for roof repairs, often totaling thousands of dollars, have been left to Oklahomans to pay.
On October 4th, 2023, Billy and Lacy Hursh’s home in Broken Arrow suffered significant hail damage to their home. Contractors told the Hurshes that they needed a full roof replacement. Upon filing his claim, Billy Hursh, a policyholder since age 16, received an offer from State Farm in the amount of $1,400 against an estimated $22,000 cost of repairs.
Eight months later, a second hailstorm hit. This time, State Farm insisted the total damage was below their deductible. In the end, the Hursh family had to borrow $22,000 against their home to replace the roof. (BASentinel)
A State Farm customer since he was 16, Hursh said the experience “made [him] feel like a sucker,” and that the company was not acting in good faith.
Recently, Oklahoma Watch described an internal State Farm initiative launched around 2020: a Wind Hail Model Enhancement Team was formed with the specific goal of cutting hail claim costs by 50% (Medium)
According to those filings (allegations, not facts):
Plaintiff’s lawyers say this amounted to “pre-denying” hail claims to save the company billions. State Farm’s attorneys say this was simply a change in claims-handling features and emphatically deny this was a fraudulent scheme.
Before the Hursh lawsuit, an Oklahoma City law firm brought 125 separate hail cases against State Farm. All 125 cases reached confidential settlements. Later court hearings revealed that at least one of those homes had been settled for $3 million. One judge openly questioned why State Farm would pay that kind of money on a relatively modest–$250,000–house unless there were more at stake.
State Farm accidentally disclosed some of these confidential settlement figures by submitting them to CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), a system insurers use to view claim histories. Other carriers saw these huge roof settlements and, according to plaintiffs, either refused new coverage or jacked up premiums for the homeowners involved.
Recent hearings in the Hursh case prompted District Court Judge Amy Palumbo to be rather blunt about the situation, stating, “This is not about $1,400.” With seven lawyers in the room arguing over what counts as a “document”, she suggested this is just the top of a much larger iceberg involving many cases with State Farm.
Many Oklahomans are experiencing:
If you believe your hail damage claim was wrongly denied or underpaid by State Farm, or if your roof was damaged:
Roofing contractors or a third-party inspector may document damage differently from the insurer’s adjuster.
Keep a record of:
These documents are essential proof if legal proceedings are needed.
Given the number of similar lawsuits and the complex allegations involved, legal guidance may be necessary to secure fair compensation. Many homeowners recover significantly more with representation than they were initially offered.
At Chad T. Wilson Law Firm, we have extensive experience in representing homeowners across Oklahoma in hail damage claims against State Farm. Our firm has successfully represented over 9,000 policyholders nationwide, helping families receive the coverage their insurance policies promise.
If your claims were denied or underpaid, you may have legal options. Contact us today for a free consultation on your property damage claim.
