In most cases of roofing lawsuits it is usually the insurance company that targets a roofing contractor. A roofing contractor in Omaha, Nebraska is flipping the script this time around.

Steve Shannon, President of Valley Boys Roofing Company has filed lawsuits against seven different insurance providers claiming that they have kept millions of dollars they should have been obligated to pay his company on roofing repairs and installations. According to Shannon, “They’re missing specific line items off the roofing system they’re saying they’re not wanting to be paid for…So we just want to be compensated for them.”

In total Valley Boys is suing seven different companies for around six million dollars owed. The lawsuit shows underpayment on a total of 303 homes. Valley Boys is suing Farm Bureau, Auto-Owners, American Family, Travelers, USAA, State Farm, and Farmers Insurance.

Valley Boys is assuring their customers that they have no intention of getting them involved, only their insurance companies but many of the homeowners still have misgivings. Tim Gardner, one of the homeowners whose roof is one involved in the lawsuit was perplexed asking, “Why didn’t they give me a courtesy heads-up that they’re suing my insurance company?” Mr. Gardner also worries that the suit will make his insurance premiums rise.

The targeted insurance companies are stating that some of the amounts they are being sued for are higher than the company’s actual bids on the roofs in question.

A large portion of the roofs in question stem from work done after a large hail storm in April of 2013.

A statement from American Family insurance reads, “When insurance companies and contractors work together in the customers’ best interest… The homeowners quickly return to their normal lives. When the opposite happens, and roofing contractors choose to ignore standard practices… Homeowners are unfairly delayed getting their homes repaired.”

When researching a roofing contractor it is important not only to make sure that they are properly insured themselves but that they maintain good relationships with the insurance companies that they typically work with. This relationship helps make insurance claims go smoothly and doesn’t lead to extra headaches down the road.