OKLAHOMA — Tulsa homeowner Tim Willard sued State Farm in Oklahoma state court after the insurer denied his hail damage claim and canceled his coverage following a May 21, 2024 storm. The company's lawyers denied Willard's allegations in a filing in Oklahoma state court.

On May 21, 2024, around dinnertime, a storm swept into Tulsa County, Oklahoma, hammering houses with hail the size of golf balls. Willard could not make out what his neighbor was saying on the phone because the hail was so loud. After the storm, he saw shingles ripped from his roof and a lawn covered by an inch of ice.

"These were jagged hailstones. They were coming just straight down and just peppered everything." Willard said.

Weeks later, an adjuster for State Farm said Willard's roof should be replaced. That same day, the company denied his insurance claim, and soon after canceled his coverage. Willard pulled money from savings and borrowed money to replace his roof, enabling him to obtain insurance coverage elsewhere.

Hundreds of lawsuits nationwide allege State Farm refused to pay what it owed for hail damage. Some of those suits ended with multimillion-dollar settlements to homeowners, who are subject to confidentiality agreements. A former State Farm employee testified that the company's actions were putting it at risk of being sued. According to a law firm handling some of the cases, more than 600 lawsuits were pending against the company in Oklahoma as of spring 2026.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined one of the lawsuits, alleging that State Farm has been running a secret scheme to deny and minimize payments for roof damage from hail and wind. "When that claim is denied, that puts consumers in a significant imperiled position where they have to borrow money or they don't get the home repaired, and there's further deterioration of their homestead. And it's a huge economic impact across the state," Drummond said.

According to court filings and the attorney general, State Farm assesses wind and hail damage claims using definitions and exclusions that do not appear in customers' policies. Court filings show the company launched a program in 2020 to slash payouts for full roof replacements in Texas, and by the end of that year had expanded the initiative to Oklahoma and other states.

State Farm said it pays what it owes on claims based on the terms of individual policies and the facts of each case. "We strongly reject any implication or political narrative that State Farm engages in illicit or unlawful conduct. We work hard to protect our customers from predatory contractors and billboard attorneys who may take advantage of people after a loss." the company said in a statement.

State Farm sells home insurance in 47 states and Washington, D.C. According to the Insurance Information Institute, hail damage contributed to $51 billion in insured losses last year from severe storms.