State Farm asks Oklahoma Supreme Court to block AG from intervening in customer lawsuit

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — State Farm is asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to block Attorney General Gentner Drummond from intervening in a lawsuit in which the insurance giant is accused of systematically shortchanging Oklahoma customers on hail-related roof claims.

The legal fight centers on a lawsuit filed last year by an Oklahoma County couple who allege State Farm ran a coordinated scheme to limit and deny hail damage claims across the state.

Drummond has said the case could be one of hundreds involving similar allegations.

"We've had a sufficient number of complaints from consumers that something is not right," Drummond said in December 2025.

Last month, the Oklahoma County judge overseeing the case approved Drummond's request to intervene and use his office's resources to help represent the couple.

Legal expert Tim Gilpin said that decision dramatically shifts the balance of power in the case.

"That is the 800-pound gorilla against the thousand-pound gorilla, State Farm," Gilpin said. "So it really would tend to add more resources to their advantage, potentially."

State Farm responded by filing its own lawsuit this month, asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to determine whether the attorney general has the authority to step into an individual civil case like this one.

Gilpin said State Farm's concern goes beyond this single lawsuit.

"At this point, it is a case about one policyholder and one claim or maybe two," Gilpin said. "If the attorney general steps in, that means that he and his office are going to have access to all of the discovery, the information and the materials that the plaintiff has gotten from State Farm."

Gilpin said that access could allow the attorney general to use the information in future, larger actions against the company.

For large insurers like State Farm, Gilpin said handling claims individually is often preferable.

"Individually, you'll set up all these different judges across the state and get potentially different rulings," Gilpin said. "It tends to benefit a giant defendant if they take on their opposition one at a time."

Drummond was not available for an interview, but a spokesperson for his office defended the intervention in a statement.

"Our office intervened based on the statutory authority to protect the collective interests of Oklahoma consumers, and we are confident the court will recognize that authority," the statement said.