MINNEAPOLIS - When Jenae and Travis Hutchins got married nine years ago, they bought their first home, a two story house on Russell Avenue North ready for a young family.
"We wanted something that was move right in and not have any issues," Travis said. "And that was this place for us."
Until last summer's tornado, with winds of up to 130 miles an hour the Hutchins say damaged their home.
"The house acted like a bellows, essentially," said Travis. "It came in and sucked out and that's why we have the floor ripples and the separation of this wall."
But when the couple called their insurance company, Allstate, to claim $204,000 for repairs, they instead got $68,000, and now they're suing Allstate for the difference.
"It couldn't be more of a Goliath vs. David situation," said George Antrim, the attorney representing Travis and Jenae Hutchins.
In Hennepin County civil court Wednesday morning, the Hutchins say the $68,000 offer won't begin to fix their house. And they're worried that even an appraisal splitting the difference will likely leave them thousands of dollars short.
"My clients are still trying to get their home repaired," said Antrim, "And they can't do it for 140,000."
They also can't do it fast enough. Travis and Jenae say they're frustrated they've waited more than a year without a settlement while they live in a rental with their home unrepaired, unlivable, and now in foreclosure.
"(We're) still no further along or better off, really," Travis said. "In fact, we're probably worse."
Allstate says that because of customer privacy and pending litigation, it can't comment on this specific claim. But it says overall, it's committed to responding to claims in a fair manner based on the specific policy.
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