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Today’s Memo:

By J.C. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch
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On Nov. 25, Oklahoma City attorney Lance Leffel, representing State Farm, set himself up for a rude surprise.

“I would remind my opponents that they do not represent the public,” Leffel said in the courtroom of District Court Judge Amy Palumbo, on the eighth floor of the Oklahoma County District Court Building in Oklahoma City. “They are not the attorney general of this state.”

Leffel’s opponents were attorneys from Oklahoma City law firm Whitten Burrage, which has waged a years-long campaign against State Farm over an alleged scheme to cheat policyholders on claims of roof damage resulting from wind and hail.

Specifically, Leffel was referring to rhetoric Whitten Burrage has employed in arguing for the release of critical documents. A common theme in the firm’s presentations and in dozens of petitions across the state is that what is at stake is not any particular roof, but the common good.

“State Farm does NOT want the Oklahoma or national public to see these documents,” one Whitten Burrage petition said.

Leffel was right: Whitten Burrage did not represent the public. But Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond does.

Click to read the full story.

By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY — A member of a governing board said Thursday he won’t recuse himself after a utility company complained he was biased against them. 

Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett said he was simply doing his job and that his fellow, and future, commissioners should be concerned if a utility is trying to silence a member of the board. 

Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company, or OG&E, requested that Hiett recuse himself from a case that would allow the company to expand its power generation sites because of “unacceptable bias” against the utility.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is a three-person statewide elected board that regulates the state’s oil and gas, utility and transportation industries.

In a November filing, OG&E attorney Chase Snodgrass said Hiett called OG&E “evil” and a monopoly spreading “propaganda.”

At a Corporation Commission meeting Thursday, Hiett said he won’t apologize for “doing his job.”

Click here to read the full story.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• OU grad students seek apology, protection for instructor in essay debate (The Oklahoman)*

• Zach Bryan to hold concerts at University of Tulsa next year (Public Radio Tulsa)

• ‘I’m nailed to the wall’: Former Lindsay bank President Danny Seibel indicted for conspiracy, fraud (NonDoc)

• Tax Commission opposes Supreme Court review of Muscogee citizen tax case (Gaylord News)

• Medicare’s new AI experiment, to be tested in Oklahoma, sparks alarm among doctors, lawmakers (Oklahoma Voice)

• As 2 OKCPS board members plan to leave office, 3 candidates run for their seats (Oklahoma Voice)

• Only 3 challengers file for Tulsa area school board races. One wants to unseat a ‘controversial’ TPS board member. (Tulsa Flyer)

• TCC moves forward with first bachelor’s degree program in school’s 55-year history (Tulsa Flyer)

• Sperry police searching for suspects in stolen $13k statue (2 News Oklahoma)

• Oklahoma organizations join national campaign to abolish the death penalty (KGOU)

• What’s being done to bring down Oklahoma’s costly home insurance rates? (KGOU)

• Tulsa aims to curb distracted driving with new phone restriction law (Public Radio Tulsa)

• “It’s something to see”: Thousands of geese are back at Lake Texoma (KXII)

• ‘The baby is coming!’: Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper helps deliver baby on highway (KOCO)

• Midtown OKC’s Lorena named among city’s top new restaurants (News 9)

• 5 ways to spend your weekend in Tulsa Dec. 5-7 (Tulsa Flyer)

• Eric Morris agrees to five-year, $20 million contract to become Oklahoma State's next coach (Tulsa World)*

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