Craig and Elizabeth Gutierrez trusted State Farm for 17 years. They relied on the insurer for everything: two cars, a golf cart, a travel trailer, small business insurance. Every year brought a policy review to ensure adequate coverage. When they bought their Edmond home with an expensive Class 4 impact-resistant cement shingle roof, State Farm approved a rate discount. Then came the storm.
As J.C. Hallman reported, a 20-minute barrage of three-inch hail in September 2024 concussed dozens of homes in their neighborhood, shattering their roof despite its high impact resistance rating. State Farm mostly denied their claim. Over the next several months, the Gutierrezes watched as new roofs were installed without a hitch on almost all their neighbors’ homes, even some insured by State Farm. They battled with the company’s distant claims department and an adjuster who told their contractor the couple would not be getting a roof replacement because they were not worth it.
The Gutierrezes were one of many nationwide who reached out to Oklahoma Watch after news broke in December that Attorney General Gentner Drummond had filed to intervene in a case accusing State Farm of RICO violations. Homeowners and business owners from Georgia, Missouri, Indiana and Texas shared similar stories of denied claims, lowball offers and feeling trapped with State Farm because they feared no other insurer would cover damaged properties…