Alliant brokers barred from soliciting business from former clients at MMA

A federal judge in New York barred three former Marsh McLennan Agency LLC brokers from accepting or attempting to do business with their former clients after resigning to join rival Alliant Insurance Services Inc.

U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the Southern District of New York also said in Marsh McLennan Agency LLC v. Alliant Insurance Services Inc. et al. that former Marsh brokers Johnny Osborne, Margaux Stone and Rachel Murray cannot use or disclose information in two Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that contain information they allegedly misappropriated from their former brokerage.

The brokers can continue to do business with 38 clients that stopped doing business with Marsh after their resignation, the judge said in the Jan. 8 order.

The White Plains, New York-based unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. sued Alliant and the former brokers shortly after their abrupt Dec. 16 resignations, saying they breached their confidentiality and nonsolicitation agreements.

The former brokers worked out of MMA’s Huntsville, Alabama, office, where Mr. Osborne managed a book of business that generated roughly $1.6 million in annual revenue. Ms. Murray and Ms. Stone were members of his team at MMA, court records show.

MMA says Newport Beach, California-based Alliant conspired with its former brokers to poach clients and that Mr. Osborne began removing documents containing proprietary information about its clients from his office in October.

MMA contends the former brokers breached the Defend Trade Secrets Act as well as their employment agreements. The brokerage accuses Alliant of conspiracy and tortiously interfering with its contracts.

A spokesperson from Marsh declined comment.

Representatives for Alliant and the individuals did not respond to requests for comment.