A Baytown couple evacuated before Hurricane Ike struck the Gulf Coast in September 2008. When they came home, court records show, a tree had fallen through their roof over the master bedroom, and the roof, the fence and a backyard shed were damaged.
The couple said water had also come inside, into the bedroom, the bathroom and the laundry room. They spoke almost no English, so their daughter reported the claim to their homeowners insurer, State Farm Lloyds, on September 22.
The adjuster came on November 12. He allowed a full replacement of the roof and paid for the shed, the fence, a window and a screen. He walked through the house with the couple while they pointed out water damage. The court of appeals wrote in 2016 that he “destroyed the two or three photos he took of the home’s interior.”…