A Comanche County judge has ordered State Farm to produce internal documents connected to a lawsuit alleging that the insurer underpaid Oklahoma homeowners for weather-related damage. The ruling addresses the insurer's previous request to withhold these materials on the grounds that they contained proprietary trade secrets.
The court determined that the majority of the requested files do not meet the legal definition of trade secrets under Oklahoma law. State Farm is now required to review its holdings and re-designate only those documents that genuinely qualify as confidential within 30 days.
The insurer is prohibited from labeling any records related to the specific plaintiff's insurance claim, the total roof replacement request, or the denial of that claim as confidential or trade secrets.
Reggie Whitten, an attorney representing the customer in the lawsuit, stated that the documents demonstrate how the company implemented a strategy to limit payouts rather than protecting secret information. Whitten noted that internal communications about reducing claims by 50% before they occur do not constitute trade secrets. He previously told News 9 that the materials showed a scheme to limit payouts.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has separately filed a lawsuit against State Farm Fire and Casualty Company. This action followed a June 2026 decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled that the Attorney General could not intervene in an existing case brought by an Oklahoma couple. Drummond's suit alleges that the insurance company purposefully underpaid and denied legitimate hail and wind damage claims.
The state claims the insurer engaged in deceptive conduct that harmed policyholders across the state, citing violations of the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act and the Oklahoma Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.