That dispute eventually led to what would become a yearslong legal battle that has now reached the highest court in the state.<\/p>\n
Hursh told NBC News during an interview at his home that the first storm was bad enough, but eight months later, an even bigger storm hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trees are blowing sideways, and you can hear the hail, and the power is flickering on and off,\u201d Hursh remembered.<\/p>\n
And the damage to his roof grew worse.<\/p>\n This time, the Hurshes called a State Farm-recommended contractor to come look at their roof. Again, a full replacement was recommended. State Farm did agree the roof was damaged \u2014 but deemed it “minor.”<\/p>\n \u201cThey said that any damage was under the deductible, and therefore not covered,\u201d Hursh said.<\/p>\n Afraid of what could happen to their home if another storm hit, Hursh and his wife, Lacy, decided to pay out of pocket to replace the roof. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s how much pain, how much hardship financially are we willing to take on up front to avoid disaster later on?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The answer: more than $22,000, borrowing against the equity of their home for the cost. <\/p>\n \u201cIt makes you feel like a sucker,\u201d Hursh said. \u201cLike I was foolish to have thought that the insurance company would hold up their end of the bargain.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea the degree to which we were being taken advantage of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Hursh family decided to take action, filing a lawsuit in state court that lays out a \u201cpervasive, state-wide fraudulent Scheme\u201d by which State Farm aimed to cut costs through \u201cbad faith claims handling tactics that are rigged against the insured.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the lawsuit, the company developed a \u201cHail Focus Initiative\u201d \u2014 secretly narrowing the definition of hail damage to reduce the amount of full roof replacements covered by State Farm. <\/p>\n \u201cState Farm uses this definition to dictate whether an insured is entitled to payment under the policy upon the filing of a valid wind and\/or hailstorm claim, yet it can be found nowhere in the policy,\u201d the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n The alleged hidden policy essentially creates a reality where homeowners\u2019 insurance claims are denied before they\u2019re even filed.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision reflects simple greed: maximizing profits for State Farm at the expense of its insureds,\u201d the lawsuit argues. <\/p>\n The Hursh family isn\u2019t alone. Law firms told NBC News that more than 600 homeowners in Oklahoma have similar lawsuits pending against the company, which is the No. 1 property insurer in the state. <\/p>\n State Farm declined NBC News\u2019 request for an interview, but in legal filings denied any wrongdoing, calling the initiative \u201can effort State Farm first undertook in 2020 to improve the accuracy, quality, and consistency of wind\/hail claims handling and to address both overpayment and underpayment of claims.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement to NBC News, the company said that \u201cover the past two years, State Farm has paid more than $1 billion to Oklahoma customers for wind and hail damage to their homes and property.\u201d<\/p>\n Late last year, the Hurshes gained a powerful ally in their fight against State Farm: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. <\/p>\n In December, Drummond filed a motion to intervene in their case, writing: \u201cOklahomans can weather inflation and Oklahoma storms, but they cannot withstand a system in which they are charged more while effectively insured less.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have here is what I believe is an intentional scheme to defraud customers,\u201d Drummond said in an interview with NBC News. \u201cWe\u2019ve discovered and reached a conclusion that State Farm has a scheme of deception. They\u2019re violating their duty of good faith and fair dealings to Oklahomans, and that involves me intervening and holding them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n State Farm opposed the motion to intervene, arguing that the attorney general\u2019s office has no regulatory authority to investigate the company.<\/p>\n![\"billy](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-03\/260310-Billy-Hursh-ew-600p-5058d6.jpg\")
![\"billy](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-03\/260310-Billy-Hursh-house-ew-600p-72de04.jpg\")
![\"Oklahoma](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-03\/260310-billy-hursh-drummond-ew-606p-6305c5.jpg\")