Broker poaching dispute between AssuredPartners, Alliant reopened

A federal judge in Columbia, South Carolina, Friday reopened a poaching dispute involving an AssuredPartners Inc. unit and a former employee who left the brokerage to join rival Alliant Insurance Services Inc. after discovery in a similar lawsuit in Kentucky revealed the broker may have violated a May 2024 permanent injunction.

U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon of the District of South Carolina said in AssuredPartners of South Carolina LLC et al. v. Alliant Insurance Services Inc. et al. that information obtained during discovery in Alan J. Jones v. AssuredPartners NL LLC et al. could show that former broker Richard H. Lonneman Jr. breached the injunction by having conversations with existing AssuredPartners employees.

Mr. Lonneman was a leader of AssuredPartners’ agribusiness practice before joining Alliant.

Orlando, Florida-based AssuredPartners’ South Carolina unit and AssuredPartners Capital Inc. sued Irvine, California-based Alliant, Mr. Lonneman, Meghan Schulz, Melissa A. Bugeski, Amanda Peterson and Lawrence Rushe in September 2023, saying the former brokers breached restrictive covenant agreements when they resigned to join Alliant.

Alan J. Jones sued AssuredPartners in Kentucky state court in July 2024, seeking a ruling that restrictive covenants he signed were unenforceable. AssuredPartners removed the lawsuit to federal court in Louisville and documents produced during discovery showed that Mr. Lonneman made phone calls to AssuredPartners broker Josh Tucker from May 2024 through July 2024.

A spokesperson for AssuredPartners declined comment.

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